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DOVER   FARMS 


IN  WHICH  IS  TRACED  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF 
THE  TERRITORY  FROM  THE  FIRST  SET- 
TLEMENT IN  1640  TO  1900 


By  frank    smith 

PRESIDENT   DOVER   HISTORICAL  AND   NATURAL   HISTORY   SOCIETY; 
VICE-PRESIDENT   DEDHAM    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY;     VICE- 
PRESIDENT   BAY   STATE   HISTORICAL   LEAGUE 


DOVER,  MASSACHUSETTS 
Published  by  the  Historical  and  Natural  History  Society 

1914 


F74 
X) 


73sf 


PREFACE 

In  these  pages  the  task  of  "unfolding  the  scroll  of  time"  has  been 
attempted.  Herein  are  presented  many  facts  with  which  the  present 
generation  is  unfamiliar,  and  unless  now  recorded  would  be  lost  for- 
ever. While  the  basis  of  this  work  rests  upon  the  records  of  Norfolk 
and  Suffolk  counties,  yet  the  material  there  obtained  has  been  en- 
riched by  many  facts  gathered  through  a  period  of  thirty  years  from 
the  older  people  of  Dover,  together  with  much  of  interest  which  has 
been  accumulated  through  a  wide  correspondence  with  former  resi- 
dents of  the  town. 

While  the  old  social  intercourse  and  mutual  dependence  of  the 
country  folks  is  now  mostly  gone,  yet  the  suggestion  of  the  life  which 
has  been  lived  here  will  touch,  it  is  believed,  something  very  deep  in 
many  hearts.  "The  sentiment  that  makes  us  linger  over  old-fashioned 
things  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  in  man.  It  knits  the  generations 
to  each  other,  making  it  certain  that  the  reverence  of  the  young  for 
the  old  will  never  die  out  of  the  world."  From  moulding  relics  and 
obscure  traditions  of  other  times  something  may  be  learned  which 
shall  not  merely  gratify  curiosity.  We  believe  it  is  well  to  have  the 
life  of  a  country  town  individually  told  before  the  change  begins 
which  is  sure  to  come  in  the  social  and  domestic  relations  of  society. 
Now  every  settlement  can  be  easily  traced  on  a  map  of  Dover. 

In  recognition  of  the  great  debt  of  gratitude  which  we  owe  our 
forebears  for  their  toil  and  patient  sacrifice  in  the  development  of 
these  farms,  in  making  these  roads,  and  in  the  building  of  the  town's 
institutions,  this  volume,  which  aims  to  show  the  life  they  lived,  is 
dedicated.  The  obligations  of  the  author  are  due  George  E.  Chicker- 
ing,  the  oldest  resident  of  Dover,  who  patiently  listened  to  the  reading 
of  these  pages  and  whose  accurate  knowledge  has  helped  to  make  clear 
many  obscure  points  in  the  history  of  the  town ;  to  Walter  P.  Hender- 
son who  lettered  the  accompanying  map,  and  to  the  many  residents 
who  have  contributed  so  generously  to  meet  the  expense  of  illustrating 
this  volume. 

iii 


M293Jeil 


It  IS  hoped  that  the  large  number  of  illustrations  found  in  this 
volume  will  add  to  its  interest  and  value.  The  plan  has  been  to 
give  (a)  pictures  of  the  different  types  of  older  houses  now  stand- 
ing in  Dover;  (b)  a  collection  of  the  notable  additions  that  have 
been  made  in  recent  years;  (c)  things  of  historical  interest,  like 
the  town  pound  and  the  dam  at  Charles  River;  (d)  some  bits  of 
beautiful  scenery  in  old  roads,  springs,  etc.,  which  add  so  much  to 
the  attractiveness  of  the  town  as  a  place  of  permanent  residence. 


IV 


i  i  T^  HERE  is  a  quiet  about  the  life  of  the  farmer,  and  the  hope  of  a 
1  serene  old  age,  that  no  other  business  or  profession  can 
promise.  A  professional  man  is  doomed  some  time  to  find  that  his 
powers  are  wanting.  He  is  doomed  to  see  younger  and  stronger  men 
pass  him  in  the  race  of  life.  He  looks  forward  to  an  old  age  of  intel- 
lectual mediocrity.  He  will  be  last  where  once  he  was  the  first.  But 
the  farmer  goes  as  it  were  into  partnership  with  nature — he  lives  with 
trees  and  flowers — he  breathes  the  sweet  air  of  the  fields.  There  is  no 
constant  and  frightful  strain  upon  his  mind.  His  nights  are  filled  with 
sleep  and  rest.  He  watches  his  flocks  and  herds  as  they  feed  upon  the 
green  and  sunny  slopes.  He  hears  the  pleasant  rain  falling  upon  the 
waving  com,  and  the  trees  he  planted  in  youth  rustle  above  him  as  he 
plants  others  for  the  children  yet  to  be." 

4*        •{•        4* 

"No  town  can  have  a  great  to-morrow  if  it  fails  to  commemorate  its 
yesterdays.  We  in  America  are  frequently  careless  of  the  past.  We 
are  thinking  of  the  future,  and  so  frequently  allow  our  children  to 
grow  up  ignorant  of  the  great  personalities  and  great  deeds  that  have 
made  our  towns  and  our  nation.  In  ancient  Rome,  when  a  boy  became 
of  age  he  was  carried  into  the  great  hall  of  the  house,  where  stood 
the  statues  of  his  forefathers,  and  there  in  the  presence  of  those 
memorials  he  was  invested  with  the  garments  of  manhood.  I  hope 
our  historical  societies  will  be  able  to  carry  in  coming  years  hundreds 
of  young  men  into  the  presence  of  great  events  and  great  leaders  of 
the  past,  and  thus  give  them  that  intelligent  devotion  to  the  common 
good,  which  will  create  leaders  in  coming  days." 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  of  Frank  Smith  Frontispiece 
Facing  page 
The   Boiling   Spring,   Springdale 

Avenue    2 

On  the  Banks  of  Charles  River. .  3 

Residence  of  James  C.  Hopkins  8 

The  Pokanoket  Club   9 

Residence  of  Loren  G.  Du  Bois  10 
Group  of  Sassafras  Trees,  Farm 

Street   11 

Residence    of    Dr.    William    T. 

Porter    12 

Residence  of  Edward  W.  Grew  13 

Residence  of  Charles  F.  Lyman  14 

Residence  of  Philip  Gardner   . .  IS 

Residence  of  Ralph  B.  Williams  16 
Residence    of    Mrs.    George    D. 

Everett     17 

Cottage  of  Fred  B.  Rice 20 

Residence  of  the  late  Robert  S. 

Minot   21 

Residence  of  Harry  L.  Rice 22 

Residence  of  Walter  Channing, 

Jr 23 

Residence  of  Benjamin  H.  Dorr  24 

Residence  of  James  W.  Austin..  25 

Residence  of  John  C.  Knowles  . .  26 

Residence  of  Irving  Colburn  ...  27 

Residence  of  Corwin  McDowell  30 

Residence  of  Arthur  E.  Davis  . .  31 

The  McGill  House   34 

The  Smith  House,  Smith  Street  35 
Residence    of    Mrs.    Roger    N. 

Allen     40 

Residence     of     Mrs.     Allen     E. 

Battelle    41 

Residence  of  Charles  S.  Damrell  46 

Residence  of  James  McGill  47 


Facing  page 
Residence  of  Michael  W. 

Comiskey     47 

Residence  of  J.  Grant  Forbes  ..  48 
Residence  of  the  late  Elbridge  L. 

Mann    49 

Residence  of  Robert  K.  Rogers  50 

Pine  Grove,  Centre  Street 51 

Residence  of  George  H.  Thomp- 
son      54 

Residence  of  Allen  F.  Smith  ...  55 

Residence  of  Charles  Dickens  . .  58 
The      Josiah      Draper      House, 

Centre  Street 59 

Residence      of      Winthrop      A. 

Harvey    60 

The  Norfolk  Hunt  Club 61 

Dover  Common    68 

Doorway  Whiting-Williams 

Tavern     69 

Residence     of     Miss     Juliet     B. 

Higginson     70 

Bungalow  of  Benjamin  C.  Tower  71 

Residence  of  Augustin  H.  Parker  72 
Residence    of    Dr.     Francis    B. 

Grinnell    73 

Residence  of  Frederic  H.  Curtiss  74 

Farm  of  Miss  Alice  M.  Richards  75 

Residence  of  Philip  C.  Stanwood  1() 

The  Calvin  Richards  House  1875  11 

Residence  of  Hubbard  C.  Packard  78 

Residence  of  Charles  S.  Bean . .  79 

Residence  of  John  Parkinson,  Jr.  84 

Residence  of  Richard  H.  Bond..  85 

The  Clay  Brook  Road  88 

Residence  of  Charles  M.  Belden  89 
Residence  of  the  late  Benjamin 

N.   Sawin   90 


VU 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing  page  Facing  page 

Residence     of     Wm.      Hewson  The    Tisdale    Homestead,    Wal- 

Baltzell    91       pole  Street  113 

Residence      of      Wm.      Hewson  Farm  of  Horatio  Hathaway,  Jr.  118 

Baltzell     96  The    Town    Pound,    Springdale 

Residence  of  George  E.  Chicker-  Avenue    119 

ing    97    Brooklet,  Centre  Street 127 

Residence  of  George  D.  Hall  ...  112   Dam  near  Newell's  Bridge  128 

Map    152 


VIU 


DOVER  FARMS 


f 


The  country  wins  me  still : 
I  never  framed  a  wish,  or  formed  a  plan 
That  flattered  me  with  hope  of  earthly  bliss, 
But  there  I  laid  the  scene. 

— Cowper. 

pHILE  the  town  of  Dedham  was  first  settled  in  1636, 
settlements  were  not  generally  made  outside  of  the 
village  until  after  King  Philip's  War,  although  a 
few  residents  had  made  their  homes  in  what  is  now 
Dover  previous  to  1675.  Much  of  the  Dedham  territory  was  conveyed 
to  individuals  in  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  and  grants  of  wood- 
land were  made  as  early  as  1644.  Only  two  years  later  a  free  clay 
pit  was  opened  in  Dedham,  and  from  the  extensive  use  of  this  ma- 
terial by  the  early  settlers  one  of  the  Dover  brooks, — Clay  brook — 
gets  its  name.  On  its  banks  brick  was  burned  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Dover.  "Dry  herd-houses"  where  horses  and  cows  not  in 
milk  and  growing  stock  could  be  cared  for  during  the  summer,  were 
early  established.  One  of  these  houses,  if  we  may  trust  tradition, 
was  located  as  early  as  1659  at  Powisset,  a  location  w^hich  is  first 
referred  to  by  name  in  1662  in  grants  of  land  in  the  vicinity.  As  the 
Apostle  Eliot  tells  us,  this  territory  was  a  peculiar  hunting  ground  of 
the  Indians.*  Over  the  plains  and  through  the  river  valleys  they 
chased  the  deer  and  the  rabbit,  and  for  many  years  arrow  heads  lost 
in  the  chase  were  turned  out  of  the  soil.  As  the  Indians  lived  by 
hunting  and  fishing  they  did  not  use  much  planting  ground,  but  on 
the  plain  of  Powisset — Hathaway  farm — they  planted  maize,  beans, 
peas,  and  pumpkins,  and  on  the  farms  on  Charles  river,  of  which 
the  Davis  estate  on  Glen  street  and  the  Smith  farm  on  Smith  street 
are  good  examples,  they  cured  fish  for  winter  use.       The  Natick 

*The  Bronze  Tablet  on  the  Common  was]  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the  Indians  on  January 


DOVER    FARMS 

Indians,  of  whom  the  Pegans  were  members,  lived  along  Charles 
river.  Noanet,  a  local  chief,  dwelt  in  the  beautiful  Noanet  valley 
and  set  his  weirs  in  the  water  at  the  mouth  of  Noanet  brook.  To 
this  region  the  Indian  long  made  pilgrimages  to  gather  herbs  for 
medicines  which  the  white  settlers  had  taught  him  how  to  use.  With 
increasing  herds  this  territory  was  used  as  a  pasture  field  by  the 
Dedham  settlers  previous  to  1650.  About  this  time  settlements  were 
made  by  James  Draper  (1656)  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  Daniel 
Morse  (1656)  just  across  the  river  in  Sherborn,  Andrew  Dewing 
(165-)  on  Charles  river,  near  South  Natick,  followed  later  by  John 
Bacon,  Thomas  Battle,  Eleazer  Ellis,  and  Nathaniel  Chickering. 
Enterprising  citizens  among  the  Dedham  settlers  kept  extending 
their  borders  westward,  and  early  in  the  development  of  this  territory 
we  read  of  "David  Wight's  field,"  "Ralph  Day's  field,"  etc.,  which 
were  probably  the  beginning  of  their  family  settlements  in  Dover. 
In  this  way  farms  were  cleared  in  different  parts  of  Dedham.  The 
name,  which  was  later  given  to  this  parish,  is  first  spoken  of  in  a 
grant  of  land  in  1687  to  Richard  Ellis  "at  ye  place  called  Spring- 
field." In  1732  the  Dedham  tax  list  was  made  up  by  parishes  for 
the  first  time,  and  it  is  assumed  that  those  who  were  assessed  a  poll 
tax  in  the  Springfield  Parish  were  living  here  at  the  time.  It  is 
deeply  interesting  to  trace  the  development  of  Dover,  and  to  locate 
the  past  as  well  as  present  residents,  as  each  ancient  site  or  dwelling 
has  a  story  of  its  own.  While  many  other  persons  owned  land  in  the 
Springfield  Parish  the  residents  in  1732  were  as  follows: — 

Aaron  Allen  Benjamin  Allen 

Eleazer  Allen  Hezekiah  Allen 

Jonathan  Battle,  Jr.  Nathaniel  Battle 

John  Bacon,  Jr.  John  Bullard 

Michael  Bacon  Jonathan  Bullard 

Nathaniel  Bullard  Elephalet  Chickering 

Nathaniel  Chickering  Samuel  Chickering 

John  Draper,  Jr.  Joseph  Draper 

Ralph  Day  Benjamin  Ellis 

Eleazer  Ellis  Caleb  Ellis 


The  Spring,  Springdale  Avenue,  from  which  the  Springfield 
Parish  took  its  name 


DOVER    FARMS 

Joshua  Ellis  Josiah  Ellis 

Ebenezer  Knapp  Samuel  Leach 

Seth  Mason  Jonathan  Mason 

Seth  Morse  Ebenezer  Robinson 

David  Wight  Jonathan  Whiting 

Nathaniel  Wilson  Josiah  Fisher 

Some  of  the  land  was  called  "common  rights  land,"  as  the  Dedham 
settlers  adopted  the  Aryan  custom  of  herding  on  common  lands.  In 
summer  time  cattle  were  cared  for  in  the  Colony  by  cow  keepers,  who 
were  appointed  for  this  work.  In  early  transfers  of  real  estate  "cow 
common  rights"  were  frequently  spoken  of  in  this  parish. 

These  homes  were  old  fashioned  New  England  country  home- 
steads, which  from  the  first  settlement  were  scattered  over  the  entire 
territory.*  A  few  of  these  farmsf  have  remained  in  the  hands  of 
lineal  descendants  to  the  present  time.  Some  of  the  houses  still  con- 
tain all  those  articles  of  ancient  furniture  which  are  so  much  sought 
to-day.  All  of  these  early  homes  had  what  is  now  so  rapidly  dis- 
appearing, the  front  yard,  an  idea  brought  over  from  Old  England. 
These  yards  were  fenced  in  and  were  the  special  domain  of  the 
women,  and  were  kept  and  tended  by  them.  Flowers  were  planted 
on  either  side  of  the  path,  leading  up  to  the  front  door,  which  was 
used  only  on  occasions  of  more  or  less  ceremony.  With  the  lapse  of 
time  many  of  the  ideas  and  customs  of  the  mother  country  have 
passed  away,  but  "Time  and  distance  never  lessen  the  interest  of  a 
true  child  in  the  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  garden  where  his  mother 
walked  and  his  father  toiled."  Every  house  had  its  tall  old-fashioned 
clock,  which  ticked  away  the  passing  time.  Many  clocks  are  found 
in  homes  to-day,  which  have  struck  the  hours  for  a  century  and  a 
half,  and  bid  fair  to  do  so  for  as  many  years  to  come. 


♦Dedham  originally  had  four  parishes:  First  Parish,  Dedham  Centre; 
Second  Parish,  Norwood;  Third  Parish,  Westwood;  Fourth  or  Springfield 
Parish,  Dover. 


tChickering  farm,  Haven  street;    and  Wilson  farm,  Wilsondale  street. 

3 


DOVERFARMS 

"Like  visions  in  a  magic  glass, 
They  see  the  generations  pass." 

We  know  of  no  other  town  where  so  few  houses  show  "the  gnaw- 
ing tooth  of  time."  Wherever  a  farm  is  now  found,  among  the 
beautiful  estates  which  have  been  developed  in  recent  years,  it  is  well 
kept  with  indications  of  thrift  and  prosperity.  At  first  there  was  no 
travel  save  on  foot,  so  the  first  settlers  were  literally  "footers"  who 
followed  Indian  trails.  So  long  as  the  residents  of  the  territory 
walked  from  place  to  place  the  matter  of  roads  did  not  bother  them, 
neither  was  it  a  serious  question  so  long  as  they  rode  on  horseback, 
but  when  wheeled  vehicles  came  into  use  the  rude  cartways  had  to 
give  place  to  highways,  which  made  easier  traveling  than  bridle  paths 
and  so  in  the  course  of  time  some  of  these  trails  and  bridle  paths 
were  developed  into  thoroughfares  over  which  the  most  modern  con- 
veyances, the  automobile,  the  bicycle,  and  trolley  cars  now  pass. 
A  reference  is  found  in  the  Dedham  Records  in  1669  to  "the  Indian 
path  from  Natick  to  Dedham,"  which  must  have  passed  through 
Dover.  In  the  history  of  our  roads  we  trace  the  development  of  the 
town.  "All  creative  action,"  says  Horace  Bushnell,  "whether  in  govern- 
ment, industry,  thought  or  religion,  creates  roads." 

Surely  it  is  no  idle  task  to  locate  and  tell  the  story  of  these 
homes  for  future  generations,  because  they  represent  so  much  in  the 
past  life  of  this  community;  a  tale  which,  if  fully  told,  would  touch 
in  many  ways  the  national  growth  and  development  of  our  country. 
"The  old  gives  place  to  the  new,  but  something  of  the  charm  and 
value  of  the  new  is  in  the  inheritance  we  derive  from  the  former 
things."  The  early  settlers  were  pioneers,  and  their  lot  was  a  hard 
one,  even  in  Dedham.  To  build  the  first  shelter  in  a  new  country  is 
no  easy  task  even  to-day,  but  much  more  difficult  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago.  These  settlers  were  not  only  farmers  but  wood 
cutters  as  well.  Ship  timber  was  in  demand  and  was  sold  in  large 
quantities  at  Boston.  Labor  was  incessant  from  one  year's  end  to 
the  other.  With  an  ox  team  the  farmer  broke  up  the  cleared  field 
in  the  spring,  and  in  the  fall  hauled  away  the  rocks  and  stones  with 
which  to  build  stone  walls.      They  were  schooled  through  the  hard 

4 


Dover  farms 

experiences  of  their  daily  lives,  to  improve  their  condition  by  un- 
remitting industry  and  frugality.  Necessity  forced  them  to  husband 
every .  resource  which  the  farm  afforded  and  led  to  an  intelligent 
administration  of  their  affairs.  Increased  prosperity  was  always 
marked  by  the  improvement  in  farm  buildings.  A  successful  farmer 
always  had  a  neat  and  attractive  house.  The  custom  did  not  prevail 
here  of  building  small  houses  and  large  barns,  as  it  did  in  the 
northern  New  England  states.  These  farmers,  in  establishing  their 
homes,  were  often  married  in  homespun  with  home-knit  blue  yarn 
stockings.  They  brought  their  wives  home  on  horseback,  riding 
before  them  on  the  pillion,  as  carriage  roads  were  of  later  develop- 
ment. The  best  table  cloth  and  towels  had  been  woven  by  the  hand 
of  the  bride  from  flax  grown  in  her  father's  garden,  while  the  patch- 
work quilts  and  comforters  proved  her  industry  with  the  needle. 
When,  in  brown  home-spun  petticoats,  the  children  had  been  taught 
to  pick  up  chips  and  trained  almost  from  their  infancy  to  some  useful 
work,  they  had  manual  training,  but  nobody  called  it  by  that  name. 
What  stories  the  children  of  past  generations  used  to  hear,  rivalling 
those  in  Whittier's  "Snow  Bound,"  of  the  Indian  life  on  their  farm  at 
South  Natick;  of  their  hunting,  fishing,  and  attempts  at  farming;  of 
the  roses  which  bloomed  beside  their  doors  and  the  flowers  and  plants 
they  grew  for  medicines.  The  stories  told  of  the  hardships  and 
dangers  of  their  ancestors  in  King  Philip's  War  and  in  the  French 
and  Indian  Wars  were  of  absorbing  interest.  There  were  soldiers 
of  the  Revolution  living  to  tell  stories  of  that  great  struggle  as  they 
gathered  in  the  Williams  tavern,  as  late  as  1837.  In  the  War  of 
1812  many  Dover  farmers  were  engaged  in  teaming  between  Boston, 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  their  experiences  on  the  road  were 
often  related  around  the  fireside  on  long  winter  evenings.  This  was 
an  age  of  sociability,  and  the  farmers  frequently  met  at  one  another's 
homes  for  amusement  and  social  intercourse. 

In  this  pioneer  life  there  was  little  need  of  money,  except  in  pay- 
ing taxes,  as  the  farmer  got  his  fuel,  food  and  clothing  by  his  own 
skill  and  labor.  The  few  things  needed  for  the  household  could  be 
had  in  exchange  for  butter  and  eggs  at  the  "West  India  goods  store." 
The  flock  of  sheep  furnished  wool  for  the  family,  and  the  garden  flax 

5 


DOVER    FARMS 

tended  by  the  busy  housewife  provided  linen  for  their  wear.  Cord- 
wainers  went  from  house  to  house  and  were  truly  "skilled  workmen" 
in  their  handicraft.  This  trade  was  very  common;  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution,  there  were  five  or  six  of  the  most  prominent  residents 
who  followed  this  occupation  in  connection  with  farming  in  the 
Springfield  Parish.  Pigs  were  kept  in  large  numbers  in  the  early 
settlement  of  the  town,  and  were  always  watching  for  a  chance  to 
break  out  and  roam  about,  rooting  up  the  gardens  and  pastures,  so 
hogreeves  were  appointed  to  see  that  the  pigs  were  properly  yoked 
and  had  rings  in  their  noses.  In  the  early  times  pigs  had  to  be 
guarded  from  the  bears  who  were  very  fond  of  pig  flesh,  especially 
when  it  was  butchered  by  themselves.  The  amusing  incident  is  re- 
called of  a  hogreeve  who  one  day  was  making  some  repairs  on  the 
Dover  Meeting-house.  A  pig  was  roaming  at  large  near  by,  when  a 
Harvard  student,  who  was  said  to  "feel  his  oats,"  chancing  to  pass  by 
entered  a  complaint.  The  hogreeve  saw  how  hopeless  it  would  be  for 
him  to  attempt  to  catch  the  pig  alone,  and  so  he  pressed  the  young 
man  into  the  service  as  a  deputy.  Through  the  heat  and  dust  of  a 
summer  day  they  chased  the  pig  over  walls,  under  fences  and 
through  the  fields,  until  the  pig  was  captured  through  sheer  exhaus- 
tion and  the  student  went  his  way  a  wiser  man.  A  little  wheat  was 
raised  on  these  early  farms,  which  was  highly  prized  by  the  family, 
but  the  staples  were  Indian  corn,  rye,  oats  and  barley.  The  wheat 
was  ground  and  sifted  into  several  grades  at  the  nearest  mill.* 
Vegetables  were  raised  with  two  purposes  in  view;  namely,  the  family 
and  the  cattle.  In  winter  a  "beef  critter"  was  slaughtered,  and  much 
of  the  meat  was  frozen  and  eaten  fresh,  while  the  remainder  was 
salted  down  for  the  "biled  dinner."  A  year's  supply  of  salt  pork 
and  lard  was  put  in.  This  food  supply  was  supplemented  during 
the  year  with  the  flesh  of  fowls  raised  on  the  farm.  Before  the  build- 
ing of  dams  on  Charles  river  there  were  fording  places  where  farmers 
gathered  in  the  spring  of  the  year  large  quantities  of  salmon,  shad 
and  herring.  Such  a  fording  place  existed  in  the  west  part  of  the 
town,  above  Farm  bridge,  near  where  Mr.  Minot's  boat  house  stands. 

•South  Acton,  Mass. 


DOVER    FARMS 

The  Dover  farmers  were  an  intelligent,  happy,  contented  class,  meet- 
ing the  poet's  contention : 

Happy  the  man  whose  wish  and  care 

A  few  paternal  acres  bound. 
Content  to  breathe  his  native  air 

On  his  own  ground: 
Whose  herds  with  milk,  whose  fields  with  bread, 

Whose  flocks  supply  him  with  attire, 
Whose  trees  in  summer  yield  him  shade, 

In  winter  fire. 

4-  ^  ^ 

FARM  STREET  extends  from  the  Medfield  line  on  the  south  to 
Springdale  park,  on  the  north,  and  is  the  second  oldest  road  in 
town.*  This  street  as  at  present  laid  out,  forms  only  a  part  of  the 
original  layout,  which  followed  Indian  trails  and  extended  from 
Medfield  to  the  Indian  settlement  at  South  Natick  including  Farm, 
Main,  and  Pleasant  streets.  In  the  early  time  this  road  went  around 
by  the  picturesque  Polka  rock  (on  the  farm  of  George  Battelle) 
which  was  called  for  a  man  by  that  name,  of  whom  it  is  remembered, 
that  amid  the  superstitions  of  the  age  he  thought  he  saw  his  Satanic 
Majesty  as  he  was  riding  on  horseback  by  this  secluded  spot.  The 
location  has  long  been  looked  upon  as  one  in  which  treasures  are 
hid,  but  why  anyone  should  go  so  far  inland  to  hide  treasures  has 
never  been  told;  however,  there  has  been  at  times  unmistakable 
evidence  of  considerable  digging  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this 
rock.  On  the  abandoned  part  of  this  road  James  Draper  had  his 
estate,  which  was  the  beginning  of  farm  settlements  in  the  west  part 
of  Dover.  This  was  the  first  road  named  in  town.  More  than 
thirty  years  ago  John  Battelle  had  a  board  placed  on  the  walnut  tree 
in  the  Barber  pasture,  near  the  junction  of  Farm  and  Bridge  streets, 
bearing  the  name  Farm  street,  which  was  later  adopted  by  the  town. 
To  get  a  clear  idea  of  the  origin  and  development  of  Dover  roads 
one   must    remember   that   they    were    primarily    developed    by   the 

*No  attempt  has  been  made  to  include  all  houses  to  date.  It  is  believed, 
however,  that  every  settlement  previous  to  1900,  together  with  a  notice  of 
many  additions  in  recent  years,  has  been  described  in  these  pages. 

7 


DOVER    FARMS 

Dedham  settlers  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  this  territory,  and  the 
Indian  settlement  beyond.  The  oldest  road  in  town  is  the  one  which 
led  from  Dedham  to  South  Natick,  and  was  made  up  wholly  or  in 
pa^-t  of  the  following  streets:  Wilsondale  street;  Strawberry  Hill 
street;  Dedham  street;  Cross  street;  Centre  street;  and  the  Clay 
Brook  road.  When  the  residents  in  later  years  commenced  to  develop 
Dover  roads  it  was  with  an  eye  singly  to  Boston,  which  was  the 
centre  of  all  trade  for  their  ship  timber,  bark,  wood,  charcoal,  corn, 
rye  and  pork. 

OBED  HARTSHORN'S*  farm  was  settled  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  in  1790.  The  site  on  which  the  first  house  was  built  is 
said  to  have  been  purchased  from  James  Arcules,  a  colored  man. 
Obed  Hartshorn  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Wight,  and 
the  larger  part  of  his  farm  belonged  to  the  Wight  estate  which  origin- 
ally covered  a  large  area,  including  much  land  in  Medfield  and 
Dover.  Mr.  Hartshorn  was  a  blacksmith  and  carried  on  this  im- 
portant trade  in  connection  with  his  farm.  The  blacksmith  shop 
remained  standing  until  recent  years.  It  stood  on  the  west  side  of 
the  road  south  of  the  barn.  In  the  early  days  of  our  country  it  was 
the  scene  of  many  a  neighborhood  discussion  of  vital  and  important 
questions,  as  has  always  been  the  habit  of  Yankees  wherever  as- 
sembled. With  the  flight  of  time  new  modes  of  thought,  feelings  and 
habits  have  arisen  with  the  people  of  the  town.  The  remarkable 
healthfulness  of  Dover  as  a  place  of  permanent  residence  is  illus- 
trated by  the  longevityf  of  this  family.  Mr.  Hartshorn  died  in  his 
82nd  year,  while  Mrs.  Hartshorn  lived  to  be  99  years,  4  months  and 
19  days.  Of  their  children, — who  continued  to  dwell  on  the  ances- 
tral farm, — Obed  lived  to  be  78  years  old,  while  Sally  his  sister  died 
in  her  85th  year.  Stillman  J.  Spear  established  a  printing  business 
here,  which  he  later  moved  to  Medfield.     The  original  house  on  this 

♦The  names  of  the  original  settlers  on  the  old  farms  are  given  in  capitals 
throughout  this  work. 

tOn  the  Allen  farm  on  Centre  street,  Mrs.  Eleazer  Allen,  Jr.,  lived  to  be 
98  years  old,  while  John  A.  Newell,  who  lived  on  an  adjoining  farm  (Harvey- 
estate),  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  91  years.  In  every  section  of  the  town 
scores  of  people  have  lived  to  an  advanced  age. 

8 


8; 


•^ 
^'^ 


?5 
1^ 


DOVER    FARMS 

estate,  since  its  purchase  by  James  C.  Hopkins,  has  been  moved  to 
Junction  street.  Mr.  Hopkins  has  erected  here,  not  far  from  the 
site  of  the  first  homestead,  a  most  picturesque  and  charming  house. — 
Obed  Hartshorn,  Jr.* 

JOHN  PEPPELOW'S  house  lot  is  marked  by  the  noble  elms  on 
Mr.  Welch's  place.  The  house  was  very  old  when  removed  in  1869. 
John  Peppelow  first  appeared  in  Dedham  in  1761,  and  the  next  year 
sold  land  on  Farm  street  to  John  Cheney.  It  is  believed  that  he 
soon  after  built  his  house  here.  His  name  appears  in  a  list  of 
persons  who  attended  Baptist  meetings  in  Medfield  in  1771,  but 
there  is  no  evidence  that  he  ever  resided  in  that  town.  He  was  living 
Here  as  late  as  1792.  Mr.  Peppelow  represented  a  class  of  men  who 
were  very  common  in  the  olden  time  when  additional  laborers  were 
needed  on  every  farm  in  the  busy  season  of  the  year.  This  irregular 
employment  yielded  an  uncertain  and  scant  living,  which  was  eked 
out  by  the  cultivation  of  a  little  land  and  by  chopping  a  little  wood. 
This  class  entirely  disappeared  from  the  town  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War,  and  their  little  houses  have  also  disappeared. 
They  have  escaped,  however,  "the  poverty  that  waited  upon  irregular 
employment  and  the  town  is  relieved  of  a  class  that  always  was  on 
the  verge  of  destitution." 

William  T.  Welch's  house  was  built  in  1858  by  JOHN  W. 
SHUMWAY,  who  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  abandoned  his 
trade  in  1867  and  took  a  position  in  the  Rhode  Island  Reform  School. 
Mr.  Shumway  was  a  good  sportsman  and  with  John  Battelle,  Albert 
L.  Smith,  and  Abraham  Bigelow,  kept  his  fox  hound.  These  fol- 
lowers of  the  hound  used  to  have  good  hunting  in  the  winter  time 
for  foxes  and  white  rabbits.  E)avis  C.  Mills  of  Needham  and  Orin 
Wight  of  Medfield  often  joined  them,  and  when  their  dogs  packed, 
as  they  sometimes  would,  it  was  the  music  of  the  age.  The  dogs  of 
1850  were  far  superior  to  the  fox  hounds  of  to-day.  Abraham  Bige- 
low trapped  and  shot  otters,  mink,  and  musk-rats  in  the  fall  and 


*The  names  preceded  by  the  dash  are  of  individuals  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  town,  but  not  otherwise  mentioned. 

9 


Dover  farms 

winter  seasons  with  great  success;  he  used  to  set  traps  down  the  river 
as  far  as  Charles  River  Village,  ajid  it  is  remembered  that  one 
night  he  caught  forty-seven  musk-rats.  He  once  killed  at  one  shot 
two  minks  and  fourteen  musk-rats  that  were  sunning  on  a  hassock. 
Mr.  Bigelow  was  a  good  shot  and  the  leading  hunter  in  the  town. 
Soon  after  Mr.  Shumway's  removal  the  place  went  into  other  hands, 
and  in  the  years  that  have  passed  it  has  had  many  owners,  most  of 
whom  have  had  but  a  transient  residence  here. 

JOHN  SHUMWAY,  SENIOR,  married  in  1813  a  daughter  of 
Amos  Wight,  and  the  tract  of  land  on  which  he  built  (Pokanoket 
Club)*  was  originally  a  part  of  his  father-in-law's  estate.  He  came 
here  from  Killingly,  Conn.,  and  erected  the  first  buildings  on  this 
farm  the  year  of  his  marriage.  Mr  Shumway  was  a  descendant  of 
the  French  Huguenots,  and  was  the  first  person,  not  of  English 
descent,  to  permanently  settle  in  Dover.  In  the  spring  of  the  year 
the  wood  pile  was  always  in  evidence  here.  In  the  winter  when  the 
ground  was  covered  with  snow  Mr.  Shumway  sledded  up,  as  did 
other  farmers  of  the  town,  great  piles  of  wood  and  logs,  which  were 
worked  up  as  spring  approached.  The  oak  and  hickory,  with  pine 
wood  for  kindlings,  were  carefully  housed  for  winter  use  in  the  adjoin- 
ing woodshed,  while  black  alder  and  witch  hazel  were  cut  up  for 
summer  use.  The  beetle  and  wedges  were  called  into  frequent  use  in 
working  up  apple-tree  and  other  hard  woods  which  developed  the  back 
and  muscles  of  many  a  country  boy.  The  splitting  log  and  chopping 
block  had  seen  long  service  and  daily,  as  soon  as  the  school  closed  in 
the  spring,  had  a  boy  behind  each  one.  The  original  barn  on  this 
farm  was  moved  from  the  Perry  estate  in  Medfield,  but  was  burned 
some  years  since. — Amos  W.  Shumway,  Amos  W.  Shumway,  Jr.f 

♦The  Pokanoket  Club  House  Is  surrounded  by  extensive  grounds  of 
more  than  a  hundred  acres,  with  a  tennis  court  and  ball  field.  While  a 
goodly  number  of  young  men  make  their  permanent  home  here,  the  club  has 
drawn  others  until  it  has  a  considerable  outside  membership. 

tin  the  years  before  the  establishment  of  Beef  Trusts  there  were  local 
butchers  in  this  and  surrounding  towns  who  did  their  own  slaughtering.  In 
the  years  that  have  passed  slaughter  houses  have  been  located  on  the  farm* 
of  Amos  W.  Shumway  and  George  Battelle,  on  Farm  street;    Draper  Smith, 

10 


-^ 


O 


DOVER    FARMS 

WALTER  P.  HENDERSON  built  in  1907,  for  his  own  occupancy, 
an  attractive  cottage,  which  is  located  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  the 
apple  orchard  where  John  Shumway  planted  his  Peck's  pleasaz^ts, 
Rhode  Island  greenings,  Williams  apples,  early  and  late  Sops-of- 
wine,  and  Orange  sweetings.  Mr.  Henderson's  house  well  illustrates 
what  architecture  can  do  in  producing  inexpensive  modern  homes. 

AMOS  WIGHT  settled  in  Dover  on  the  farm  owned  by  his  great- 
grandson,  George  Battelle,  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1790.  This 
farm  was  for  many  years  the  scene  of  much  activity.  Jonathan 
Battelle,  Jr.,  had  a  store  here,  which  supplied  the  surrounding  country 
with  West  India  goods;  he  carried  on  in  connection  a  beef  and  pork 
packing  business.  The  set  of  copper  liquid  measures  used  by  Mr. 
Battelle  in  his  store  are  still  in  excellent  preservation,  together  with 
many  other  home  and  farm  articles  which  are  of  great  interest  to  the 
present  generation.  Oliver  Clifford  and  Joseph  A.  Smith  succeeded 
Mr.  Battelle  in  the  slaughtering  business.  Later  this  activity  in 
business  was  kept  up  by  George  Battelle,  who  carried  on  for  some 
years  a  flourishing  trade  in  grain  and  farm  supplies  in  connection 
with  his  farm.  Mr.  Battelle  started  in  this  business  as  the  purchasing 
agent  of  the  Dover  Grange.  John  Battelle  had  here  what  was  so 
common  on  early  farms,  the  fenced-in  vegetable  garden,  which  was 
protected  from  intruding  cattle.  Here,  year  after  year,  asparagus  and 
rhubarb  were  gathered  in  the  spring,  here  the  low  bush  bean  and  the 
pole  bean  were  planted,  here  tomatoes,  squashes,  melons  and  cucumbers 
grew,  and  in  carefully  prepared  beds  were  sown  lettuce,  radishes, 

on  Smith  street;  John  Reed,  on  Dedham  street;  Hezekiah  Allen,  on  Pe&an 
street;  John  Chickering,  on  Haven  street;  Jabez  Baker,  on  Dedham  street; 
Elbrldge  L.  Mann,  on  Main  street,  and  Calvin  Richards,  on  Strawberry  hill. 
Before  the  decline  of  this  business,  butchers'  carts  were  driven  Into  Dover 
from  Medfleld,  Natick  and  Needham,  to  supply  the  inhabitants  with  meat. 
Aaron  Bacon  and  Benjamin  N.  Sawin  engaged  in  pig  killing,  and  went,  at 
the  call  of  farmers,  from  house  to  house  In  the  slaughtering  season.  They 
carried  with  them  the  scalding  tub  and  the  paraphernalia  required  by  the 
business.  Messrs.  Bacon  and  Sawin  were  succeeded  by  John  McClure,  who 
engaged  in  this  business  for  several  years.  Fish  carts  irregularly  visited 
the  town,  as  sales  depended  entirely  upon  the  supply  in  the  market.  If  fish 
was  high,  it  did  not  find  a  sale  among  the  farmers  of  the  town.  Some  carts 
were  well  supplied,  in  the  season,  with  pineapples,  lemons,  cocoanuts  and 
other  tropical  fruits;  In  fact  this  was  the  only  source  of  supply  for  these 
things.  1 1 


Dover  farms 

beets,  onions,  turnip,  peppers,  parsnips  and  strawberry  tomatoes.  In 
a  corner  of  the  garden  grew  the  fragrant  herbs,  sage  and  thyme, 
which  were  used  for  seasoning  purposes,  while  pear  and  peach  trees 
were  planted  around  the  outer  edges.  Here  were  grown  on  enormous 
cherry  trees  the  luscious  black  heart  cherries  which  were  known  to 
every  boy  in  the  neighborhood.  The  present  homestead  has  been 
recently  divided  and  the  house  which  was  built  in  1813  remodeled 
after  the  southern  colonial  style  by  its  present  owner,  L.  G.  DuBois, 
who  has  named  it  Westerham. 

GEORGE  BATTELLE  has  recently  built  two  houses  on  the 
northerly  part  of  the  original  farm,  one  of  which  is  occupied  by  him- 
self and  the  other  by  his  son,  Winfred  W.  Battelle.  The  house  on  the 
hill,  used  by  farm  help,  was  constructed  from  the  ell  of  the  old  house, 
which  was  moved  to  its  present  position  a  few  years  since.  The  uni- 
versal law  of  supply  and  demand  as  regulating  the  price  of  com- 
modities is  well  illustrated  by  an  entry  in  Amos  Wight's  ledger  made 
in  1791,*  when  beef  was  sold  at  2^d.  a  pound  and  tallow  at  6d. 
Beef  was  not  largely  used,  while  tallow  was  in  great  demand  for 
candles. 

Dr.  William  T.  Porter's  house  was  built  by  JOSEPH  A.  SMITH 

in  1844.  At  this  time  Mr.  Smith  was  in  the  provision  business,  with 
carts  on  the  road.  His  place  of  business  was  located  on  his  father's 
farm,  on  Smith  street,  where  a  slaughter  house  and  such  other  build- 
ings as  the  business  demanded  were  erected.  Here  Abraham  Bigelow, 
in  the  years  preceding  the  Civil  War,  engaged  with  his  sons  in  the 
manufacture  of  shoes.f     A  little  shop  was  built  which  adjoined  the 

*The  price  of  different  articles  at  this  time,  was  as  follows:  Mutton,  3d. 
a  pound;  veal,  2h^6.;  lamb,  2^d.;  clieese,  T^^d.;  potatoes,  14d.  a  bushel; 
beans,  6s.;  corn,  4s.;  cider,  5s.  a  barrel;  sheepsliins,  3s.;  a  day's  work,  3s.; 
oak  wood,  per  cord,  12s.;  use  of  a  yoke  of  oxen  per  day.  Is.  6d. ;  horse  to 
Boston,  4s.  2d.;  horse  to  Framingham,  (12m.),  3s.;  horse  to  Needham,  Is. 

tAmong  those  who  engaged  at  this  time  in  making  shoes  In  little  shops, 
or  Improvised  quarters,  may  be  mentioned  Frederick  H.  Wight,  Leonard 
Draper,  Hollis  Mann,  Rufus  Campbell,  David  E.  Allen,  John  M.  Brown,  John 
Q.  A.  Nichols,  John  Adams,  Silas  Bacon,  Harrison  Hooker,  James  Chlcker- 
ing,  Frank  Bigelow,  George  Markham,  Henry  Goulding,  Timothy  Guy  and 
Eleazer  A.   Battelle. 

12 


o 

CI, 


o 


DOVER    FARMS 

bam.  The  prepared  stock  was  procured  from  the  manfacturers  at 
Natick,  where  it  had  been  cut  out  by  pattern,  the  seams  closed,  and 
then  put  out  to  have  the  soles  pegged  on,  the  heels  nailed,  and  the 
boot  or  shoe  otherwise  finished  ready  for  the  market.  As  Mrs. 
Abraham  Bigelow  had  reared  a  large  family  of  children,  she  was  often 
consulted  in  cases  of  family  illness,  and  her  timely  suggestions  and 
good  advice  were  greatly  appreciated  by  mothers  of  less  experience. 
Families  used  a  good  deal  of  common  sense  and  some  home  remedies 
before  driving,  perhaps  at  night  in  the  midst  of  winter,  five  miles  for 
the  nearest  doctor. — George  Bigelow. 

JOSEPH  A.  COPELAND  bought  in  1866  the  store  of  Noah  A. 
Fiske,  where  he  sold  for  many  years  groceries*  and  New  England  rum 
to  the  residents  of  the  vicinity.  Farmers  a  hundred  and  twenty-five 
years  ago  were  given  to  barter,  as  there  was  but  little  money  in  cir- 
culation. Continental  money  became  valueless  and  large  tracts  of  real 
estate  were  lost  to  owners  through  sales  in  which  continental  money 
was  received  in  payment.  "Not  worth  a  continental"  was  a  saying 
that  had  a  deep  significance  to  the  people  of  this  town.  It  is  said 
that  Boston  was  in  1779  "on  the  verge  of  starvation;  money  transac- 
tions had  nearly  ceased  and  business  was  done  by  barter."  Mr.  Cope- 
land  converted  the  store  into  a  dwelling  house.  Since  its  purchase  a 
few  years  ago  by  Dr.  William  T.  Porter  the  house  has  been  greatly 
improved. 

EDWARD  W.  GREW  built  in  1907,  on  a  tract  of  land,t  which 

♦After  the  establishment,  in  1817,  of  Balch's  bakery  in  Medfleld,  bread 
and  cake  were  on  sale  at  Dover  stores.  Later  a  baker's  cart  passed 
through  the  town  for  many  years,  on  Wednesday  and  Saturday.  Carts  from 
Dedham  and  Natick  also  served  the  centre  of  the  town.  With  the  exten- 
sion of  cooking  stoves,  the  use  of  prepared  yeast,  and  the  cheapness  of  flour, 
the  demand  for  baker's  stuff  gradually  diminished,  and  before  1875  baker's 
carts  had  entirely  disappeared,  and  the  baker's  seed  cakes,  ginger  cakes, 
sugar  cakes  and  lemon  cakes  are  now  only  a  memory. 

fin  the  surrounding  fields  a  half  century  ago  were  gathered  each  year 
several  hundred  bushels  of  blueberries,  which  were  sold  In  the  Boston  mar- 
ket. Often  thirty  or  forty  pickers  would  invade  the  fields  at  a  time,  pre- 
ceding the  market  days  of  Frederick  H.  Wight,  George  D.  Everett  and 
Sumner  Allen.  The  gathered  berries  were  purchased,  or  marketed  on  com- 
mission, by  these  dealers,  who  did  a  flourishing  business  during  the  summer 
months  In  the  selling  of  butter,  eggs  and  small  fruits. 

13 


DOVER    FARMS 

was  for  many  years  a  part  of  the  Nathaniel  Fiske  farm,  a  brick  and 
stone  house  which  is  a  notable  addition  to  the  beautiful  residences 
of  the  town.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  so  many  beautiful  estates 
are  being  developed  in  Dover.  The  life  now  lived  by  people  in 
modern  cities,  said  the  late  Dr.  Alfred  R.  Wallace,  is  absolutely  false, 
not  false  in  that  it  is  not  true,  or  that  it  is  deliberately  deceitful,  but 
false  in  the  fact  that  it  is  not  the  life  conducive  to  human  happiness. 
I  believe  that  a  strong  reaction  is  setting  in  toward  a  return  to  more 
healthful  conditions,  and  in  order  to  obtain  them  the  city  must  be 
abandoned. 

Charles  F.  Lyman  owns  the  beautiful  farm  situated  on  the  top  of 
the  next  hill,  a  part  of  which  once  belonged  to  JOHN  WIGHT, 
who  owned  several  places  in  the  Springfield  Parish.  He  sold  an 
acre  of  land  here  with  the  buildings  in  1774  to  Moses  Mason, 
who  cleared  and  developed  this  farm.  The  place  was  purchased  by 
Nathaniel  Fiske  of  Holliston  in  1797,  and  continued  many  years  in 
the  Fiske  family.  We  trace  in  the  colonial  life  of  our  fathers  their 
great  fondness  for  England,  the  home  of  their  forefathers.  Even  to 
this  day  the  upland  or  cultivated  grass  is  spoken  of  as  "English  grass," 
in  distinction  from  the  meadow  or  native  grass.  In  this  way  their 
cultivated  grains  were  called  "English  grains,"  because  the  seed  had 
been  brought  from  the  mother  land.  On  this  farm  English  leeks 
still  grow  upon  the  rocks,  or  did  when  last  visited  by  the  writer, 
which  have  been  growing  here  through  many  generations  and  bear 
silent  witness  to  the  love  and  affection  which  the  owners  had  for 
England.  Here  was  found  one  of  the  old-fashioned  flower  gardens 
with  its  wealth  of  hardy  flowers.  For  half  a  century  all  the  drinking 
water  for  the  West  School  was  drawn  from  a  well  just  above  the 
garden  on  the  Fiske  farm,  and  many  were  the  flowers  that  "Aunty 
Fiske"  gave  the  children  who  came  for  pails  of  water,  together  with 
sprigs  of  the  aromatic  fennel,  which  grew  nearby.  Many  of  the  chil- 
dren had  been  first  dressed  by  "Aunty  Fiske."  Being  the  daughter 
of  a  physician — Dr.  Mann  of  Medfield — her  services  were  in  great 
demand,  and  for  many  years  she  was  present  when  ever  the  birth- 
angel  visited  the  home  of  a  neighbor.  Here  was  found  in  a  sunny  spot 
the  first  crocus  and  snowdrops  of  the  spring.     Yellow  daffodils  came 

14 


=3 


DOVER    FARMS 

next,  with  ladies'  delights,  China  pinks  and  poppies  of  various 
colors,  followed  by  a  succession  of  peonies,  Canterbury  bells,  gilly 
flowers,  petunias,  bachelor's-buttons,  balsams,  old  maid  and  velvet 
marigolds,  asters,  foxglove,  larkspur,  four  o'clocks.  Sweet  Mary,  boys' 
love,  fever-few,  coreopsis,  polyanthus,  lily  of  the  valley,  Sweet- 
William,  white  phlox,  snapdragon,  mourning  bride,  verbena,  and 
hollyhocks.  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Fiske  is  recalled  as  one  who  went  to 
the  small-pox  hospital  and  was  inoculated  for  small-pox.  As  a  knowl- 
edge of  hygiene  has  increased,  the  old  epidemics  of  small-pox  and 
other  plagues,  which  used  to  sweep  over  the  land  periodically,  carry- 
ing off  hundreds  and  thousands  of  human  beings,  no  longer  molest 
the  world,  save  where  ignorance  still  prevails  and  the  laws  of  health 
are  violated. — Amaziah  Bullen. 

J.  Story  Fay,  3rd,  now  owns  the  farm  which  shows  near  the  road 
an  old  cellar  hole,  which  marks  the  spot  of  the  first  house.  This  place 
originally  belonged  to  ELIAS  HAVEN,*  who  was  killed  at  the  Battle 
of  Lexington.  He  bought  the  land  of  John  Cheney  in  1767,  and  is 
believed  to  have  built  here  the  same  year.  His  widow  sold  the  place, 
in  1790,  to  Moses  Bullen.  Elias  Haven  was  Dedham's  only  Minute 
Man  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Lexington.  His  ashes  rest  under  the 
monument  erected  at  Arlington  near  the  spot  where  he  and  others 
fell.    The  present  house  was  built  by  A.  R.  Tuck  in  1877. 


♦A  recent  English  writer,  the  Right  Honorable  Sir  George  Otto  Tre- 
velyan,  thus  speaks  of  the  Battle  at  Lexington  and  Concord:  "The  minute 
men  of  Dedham,  encouraged  by  the  presence  of  a  company  of  veterans  who 
had  fought  in  the  French  wars,  spent  but  not  wasted  the  time  that  was 
required  to  hear  a  prayer  from  their  clergyman,  as  they  stood  on  the  green 
In  front  of  the  church  steps.  Then  they  started  on  their  way,  leaving  the 
town  almost  literally  without  a  male  inhabitant  before  the  age  of  seventy 
and  above  that  of  sixteen.  Carrying  guns  which  had  been  used  in  old  Indian 
battles,  and  headed  by  drums  which  had  beaten  at  Louisburg,  they  covered 
the  hillsides  and  swarmed  among  the  enclosures  and  coppices  in  such  num- 
bers that  it  seemed  to  theiir  adversaries  as  if  men  had  dropped  from  the 
clouds." 


NOTE.— At  the  top  of  the  hill  on  the  right,  before  crossing  Fisher's 
brook,  may  be  seen  a  field  stone,  which  marks  the  spot  where  Thomas  Bur- 
ridge  dropped  dead  in  1799,  while  working  on  the  road.  This  spot  has 
appealed  for  a  century  to  the  imagination  of  the  boys  and  girls  who  daily 
passed  this  way  to  school. 

15 


DOVER    FARMS 

WARREN  BLACKMAN  built  the  house  owned  by  the  late  Charles 
Williams  in  1885.  The  land  belonged  to  Henry  Goulding  and  was 
inherited  by  Mrs.  Blackman  from  her  father's  estate.  Just  east  of 
this  house  was  located  the  first  schoolhouse  in  the  west  part  of  the 
town.  It  was  built  in  1785,  and  now  forms  a  part  of  the  dwelling 
house  on  Smith  street,  built  by  John  Plimpton  about  1800,  where  it 
was  moved  when  a  new  schoolhouse  was  built,  in  1858.  The  second 
schoolhouse  stood  on  the  present  grounds  of  the  West  School,  just  in 
the  rear  of  the  group  of  walnut  trees  which  stand  near  the  Farm  street 
driveway. 

SETH  MASON'S  homestead,  (Philip  Gardner  estate),  lately 
owned  by  Benjamin  Kenrick,  is  the  oldest  of  the  Mason  settlements 
in  Dover.  With  its  extensive  orchard,  which  was  planted  by  Dea. 
John  Kenrick,  it  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  farms  in  Dover.  It  is 
an  interesting  fact  that  when  the  Emperor  of  Brazil,  traveling  in 
this  Country  as  Don  Pedro,  visited  Boston  with  his  wife  about  1868, 
they  were  driven  through  Dover  by  the  late  Hollis  H.  Hunnewell  of 
Wellesley.  The  Emperor  greatly  admired  the  apple  orchard  on  this 
farm,  which  is  still  in  a  very  flourishing  condition.  The  Mason 
family  owned  extensive  tracts  of  land,  especially  in  the  west  and 
southwest  parts  of  the  town.  Mrs.  Seth  Mason  went  weekly,  for 
many  years,  to  the  Boston  market  with  her  saddle  bags  filled  with 
provisions  which  she  sold  to  sea  captains  fitting  out  for  sea  voyages. 
Seth  Mason  was  a  resident  of  the  parish  in  1732,  but  for  how  many 
years  previous  is  unknown.  Farmers  at  this  time  had  little  money. 
Some  of  them  gathered  less  than  a  hundred  dollars  a  year.  Every- 
thing was  traded  out,  and  there  were  few,  if  any,  cash  sales.  The  wife 
was  expected  to  sell  butter  and  eggs  enough  to  clothe  herself  and  the 
children,  and  this  was  often  done.  After  the  first  plowing,  all  the 
work  in  the  garden  was  done  by  the  women  folks,  who  also  milked 
the  cows  and  made  the  butter  and  cheese.  The  farmer  often  raised 
his  own  meat  and  cured  it  himself.  A  smoke  house  was  not  uncommon 
on  a  farm.  A  century  since,  every  farmer  owned  a  yoke  of  well- 
matched  oxen,  together  with  a  yoke  or  two  of  steers,  which  were  used 
in  carrying  on  the  general  farm  work.  Fifty  years  ago  thirty  farmers 
were  taxed  for  oxen  here,  while  to-day  not  a  yoke  of  oxen  is  owned  in 

16 


12 


<3 


DOVER    FARMS 

Dorer.  In  the  years  that  have  passed  the  town  boasted  several  traders, 
of  whom  Jabez  Baker,  Bela  Bullen  and  George  Cleveland  are  recalled, 
who  earned  a  living  by  trading  in  oxen  and  cows.  For  many  years 
there  were  public  market  places  at  East  Cambridge,  Brighton  and 
Watertown,  where  farmers  and  traders  bought,  sold  and  exchanged 
live  stock, — cows,  oxen,  sheep  and  swine.  Many  farmers  went  to 
Brighton  every  Wednesday,  the  general  market  day.  The  driving  of 
cattle  from  the  Brighton  market  was  made  a  business,  and  for  many 
years  droves  of  cattle  passed  through  the  town  every  Wednesday  even- 
ing on  the  way  to  Rhode  Island,  and  towns  south.  In  those  days  gates 
and  fences  were  maintained  with  great  care  on  every  farm  to  keep 
these  strange  cattle  out.  Farmers  were  fond  of  their  animals,  and 
seldom  abused  or  ill-treated  them.  Perhaps  the  ox  was  their  favorite, 
but  even  the  pig  did  not  escape  their  attention.  It  is  said  that  Daniel 
Webster  had  a  passion  for  a  good  ox-team  and  often  on  his  return  from 
Washington  paid  his  oxen  a  visit  before  entering  the  house.  At  the 
west  of  Mr.  Kenrick's  orchard  was  a  hard  wood  grove,  where  school 
and  district  picnics  were  sometimes  held,  especially  on  the  Fourth  of 
July.  On  such  occasions  the  entire  district  turned  out  and  the  gather- 
ing was  of  great  value  and  interest;  all  met  on  terms  of  equality,  and 
many  renewed  acquaintances  of  half  a  century's  standing.  In  this  age 
of  commercialism  there  is  too  little  neighborhood  sociability. — John 
Mason,  Seth  Mason,  Jr. 

GEORGE  D.  EVERETT'S  house  was  built  in  1860,  on  land  which 
was  originally  a  part  of  the  James  Draper  estate.  Mr.  Everett  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  James  Draper,  and  this  part  of  the  Draper  fann 
was  never  out  of  the  ownership  of  the  family  since  its  settlement  in 
1656,  until  purchased  by  Mr.  Ralph  B.  Williams  in  1909.  Mr. 
Williams  has  added  to  the  farm  by  purchase  and  has  a  beautiful 
estate.  Here  Mr.  Everett  had  his  grocery  store,  and  in  connection 
carried  on  a  grain  and  general  market  business.  Opposite  his  house 
on  the  north  side  of  the  road  was  erected  the  "Liberty  pole,"  from 
which  a  flag  was  floated  on  the  occasion  of  every  Union  victory  during 
the  entire  period  of  the  Civil  War.  Since  the  first  agitation  of 
"Woman's  Rights"  there  have  been  those  in  Dover  who  have  taken  a 

17 


DOVER    FARMS 

lively  interest  in  the  subject,  although  previous  to  a  short  time  since 
there  has  been  no  organized  effort  in  this  direction.  Forty  years  ago 
public  lectures  were  frequently  given  on  "Woman's  Rights."  One  of 
the  earliest  advocates  of  equal  rights  was  Mrs.  Martha  A.  P.  Everett, 
who  for  many  years  represented  the  followers  here  in  State  and  district 
conventions.  These  meetings,  as  Ida  M.  Tarbell  has  so  well  said,  left 
unmoved  and  unconvinced  the  great  body  of  American  women,  who 
kept  at  their  business  of  making  homes,  rearing  families,  supporting 
society  and  the  church  and  looking  after  the  education  of  themselves 
and  their  children. 

Benjamin  Kenrick  occupies  a  house  that  was  built  by  WILLIAM 
BELL  in  1899,  on  land  taken  from  the  farm  of  Asa  Talbot,  and  is  of 
interest  as  a  part  of  the  original  James  Draper  estate.  On  these  old 
farms  the  discipline  was  fine  for  boys  and  girls,  as  every  day  brought 
its  duties  that  must  be  done  before  sunset.  On  all  farms  where  there 
were  girls  in  school,  one  of  the  duties  on  stormy  days,  especially  after 
a  snow  storm,  was  "to  go  for  the  school  children."  How  well  we  re- 
member the  array  of  teams  that  stood  at  the  schoolhouse  door  when  the 
school  was  dismissed  on  such  evenings.  Boys  who  had  no  sisters  in 
school  had  either  to  walk  or  catch  a  ride.  The  kindness  of  farmers  in 
taking  in,  to  the  full  capacity  of  their  conveyances,  the  children  of  the 
neighborhood  is  gratefully  remembered. 

Chester  A.  Hanchett's  farm  was  a  part  of  the  estate  owned  by 
James  Draper,  the  "Puritan"  who  first  settled  in  Roxbury,  but  later 
came  to  Dedham,  where  he  had  children  born  to  him  as  early  as 
1656.  He  is  believed  to  have  settled  here  about  that  time.  It  is 
pleasant  to  contemplate  that  we  still  have  farms  that  were  once  occu- 
pied by  Puritans  whose  feet  had  trodden  the  ways  and  byways  of  old 
England.  Mr.  Draper's  house  was  located  at  the  extreme  southerly 
part  of  his  farm,  on  a  lot  bounded  south  by  the  Medfield  line. 
Although  James  Draper  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  he  cultivated  the  soil 
as  did  the  other  settlers,  which  was  the  most  natural  thing  for  them 
to  do.  With  their  cultivated  fields  and  the  abundance  of  wild  game 
they  soon  lived  better  than  they  did  in  England.  The  fowling-piece 
was  found  in  every  home,  and  when  used  often  brought  down  several 

18 


DOVER    FARMS 

birds  at  a  time,  because  it  scattered  the  shot.  In  1688  Mr.  Draper 
sold  his  farm,  which  consisted  of  216  acres,  to  his  son  John,  which 
was  bounded  *'on  the  north  by  Natick  and  on  the  south  by  Medfield," 
with  the  timber  and  buildings  thereon.  He  seems  to  have  taken  up  his 
residence  permanently  in  Roxbury  after  the  sale  of  his  farm,  where  he 
was  made  a  freeman  in  1690.  JOSEPH  DRAPER  built  on  the  site 
of  the  Hanchett  house  about  1759,  and  the  farm  remained  in  the  hands 
of  lineal  descendants  of  James  Draper  until  1881,  when  it  was  pur- 
chased by  Chester  A.  Hanchett. — Joseph  Draper,  Jr.,  Michael  Draper, 
Alexander  Soule. 

John  Draper,  Jr.,  had  a  house  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  from 
the  Hanchett  farm,  where  he  was  living  in  1762.  This  was  also  a  part 
of  the  original  Draper  homestead;  the  house  was  probably  built  by 
his  grandfather,  JOHN  DRAPER.  The  cellar  was  filled  in  by  Asa 
Talbot,  who  located  it  about  two  hundred  feet  from  the  road  and  west 
of  his  driveway.  When  this  house  was  raised  the  day  probably  closed 
with  a  wrestling  match.  At  that  time  the  young  men  were  light  of 
limb  and  strong  of  muscle.  James  Draper,  a  son  of  James  Draper 
the  "Puritan,"  who  spent  his  youthful  days  on  this  farm,  died  from 
the  effects  of  a  May  day  wrestling  match  in  West  Roxbury.  May 
day,  after  the  English  custom,  was  kept  as  a  festival;  a  Maypole  was 
set  up,  around  which  wrestling,  pitching  quoits,  and  other  games  were 
kept  up.  On  such  a  day  a  person  appeared,  claiming  to  be  champion 
of  the  ring,  challenging  any  who  might  choose  to  enter  the  ring 
with  him.  A  number  accepted,  but  he  threw  them  all  with  so  much 
ease  that  there  was  no  one  left  to  compete  with  him.  Pretty  soon 
inquiries  were  made  for  James  Draper  and  remarks  to  the  effect  that 
he  would  be  a  match  for  the  champion  were  heard.  Pretty  soon  he  was 
seen  coming  on  horseback  with  his  wife  behind  him.  The  crowd 
urged  him  to  descend  and  try  a  bout  with  the  stranger.  At  first  he 
declined,  but  he  was  almost  taken  from  his  saddle,  his  wife  hanging 
on  to  his  coat  as  long  as  she  could.  He  met  his  antagonist  in  the  ring, 
and  at  the  word  laid  him  on  his  back.  The  cry  of  unfair  was  set  up, 
and  he  tried  again,  and  at  the  word  the  stranger  was  once  more  laid 
on  his  back  by  the  stalwart  James,  but  in  doing  this  a  second  time  he 

19 


DOVER    FARMS 

broke  a  sinew  in  his  leg,  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  was 
carried  back  to  his  house,  but  was  never  able  to  go  out  again,  and  died 
in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  life. — John  Draper. 

Asa  Talbot's  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Burridge  place,  the 
nucleus  of  which  was  purchased  by  Thomas  Burridge  of  Newton  in 
1759.  The  house  was  built  by  WILLARD  MANN  in  1831,  when 
the  farm  was  divided.  Here  Mr.  Talbot  carried  on  a  milk  business, 
and  in  the  early  years  of  his  residence  made  baskets.  Bees  were  kept 
on  this,  as  well  as  on  many  other  farms,  which  furnished  not  only 
a  supply  of  the  purest  honey,  but  the  comb  from  which  the  housewife 
made  the  beeswax  used  in  every  household.  In  the  early  settlement 
excursions  were  often  made  in  search  of  bee-trees,  which  often  yielded 
quantities  of  honey,  which  was  used  not  only  for  domestic  purposes 
but  in  feeding  the  home  bees  as  well. 

THOMAS  BURRIDGE*  settled  the  farm,  recently  known  as  the 
Bartlett  estate,  in  1765.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  and  a  brother  of 
Samuel  Burridge  of  Newton,  who  married  a  daughter  of  John  Draper, 
whose  farm  adjoined.  This  estate  was  originally  made  up  of  two  lots 
aggregating  thirty-one  acres.  The  house  lot  of  two  acres  was  located 
then,  as  now,  on  the  north  side  of  the  road.  The  original  Burridge 
homestead  was  sold  by  Obed  Burridge  to  Simeon  and  James  Mann 
in  1810.  Nine  years  later  Simeon  Mann  became  the  sole  owner  of  the 
estate,  which  was  later  divided  and  owned  by  his  two  sons.  Willard 
had  the  Talbot  farm,  while  Leland  had  the  original  homestead.  Here, 
while  owned  by  Linus  Bliss,  was  located  his  first  cigar  shop.  After 
a  few  years  the  shop  was  moved  and  placed  on  the  north  side 
of  Springdale  park.  Here  several  of  Mr.  Bliss's  sons  were  brought 
up  to  the  trade,  which  they  have  since  continued  in  this  and  other 
towns.  When  owned  by  Mr.  Cotton  about  1840,  a  bakery  was  set  up 
here,  which  was  in  operation  for  several  years,  supplying  families  and 
stores  in  adjoining  towns  with  baker's  stuff. — Obed  Burridge,  Micajah 
S.  Plummer,  Eben  Higgins,  Sr.,  Albert  Bartlett. 

•In  the  absence  of  definite  records,  the  date  of  a  settler's  marriage  has 
been  given  as  the  year  of  his  settlement. 

20 


Cottage  of  Mr.  Fred  B.  Rice.     Farm  settled  in  176 j 


DOVER    FARMS 

ROBERT  S.  MINOT  completed  his  mansion  house,  "Quisisana/* 
in  1901.  The  name  is  Italian,  and  means  "Here  one  is  well."  It 
was  named  after  a  hotel,  formerly  a  private  villa,  in  Castellamare, 
Italy,  overlooking  the  Bay  of  Naples,  where  Mr.  Minot  was  a  guest  in 
1880.  This  house  does  not  stand  on  land  which  was  originally  a  part 
of  the  Burridge  estate. 

JOHN  WIGHT  had  a  small  farm  here  on  the  south  side  of  the 
road  in  1771,  with  "house,  barn,  and  corn  barn,"  which  was  later 
absorbed  by  the  Burridge  estate.  The  site  of  the  Wight  house  has 
not  been  fixed,  but  there  is  evidence,  on  the  west  side  of  Miller  hill,  of 
a  house  having  been  located  there  at  an  early  time.  History  repeats 
itself,  and  after  a  century  and  a  half  Harry  L.  Rice  has  built  a  fine 
country  house  near  this  old  homestead. 

JOHN  CHICKERING  originally  settled  the  farm  of  the  late  Tat- 
rick  Slavin  in  1767.  Perhaps  the  first  effort  in  this  town  to  supply 
farm  buildings  with  running  water  was  made  when  John  Chickering 
sold  in  1798  the  right  for  $10,  to  John  Brown,  William  Pitt  Allen  and 
Calvin  Allen,  to  take  water  from  the  spring,  which  has  since  supplied 
the  farms  which  belonged  to  these  gentlemen  with  water.  The  privilege 
was  given  "to  dig  a  ditch,  lay  logs  or  pipes  for  the  use  of  their  dwelling 
houses  and  to  water  their  cattle."  In  1798  Mr.  Chickering  sold  this 
farm  and  moved  to  Strawberry  hill.  John  Miller  lived  here  at  one 
time,  and  the  beautiful  hill  at  the  south  was  named  for  his  family.  A 
blacksmith's  shop  was  located  on  this  farm  for  some  years  while 
owned  by  Lyman  Chamberlain.  Fred  B.  Rice  purchased  this  estate, 
in  1913,  for  his  own  occupancy. — John  Burridge,  Aaron  Bacon. 

Mrs.  Augusta  Higbee's  estate  was  once  a  part  of  the  Hezekiah  Allen 
farm.  In  1747  Mr.  Allen  sold  land  consisting  of  forty  acres  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road  to  his  son,  Hezekiah  Allen,  Jr.,  with  half 
an  acre  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  "in  such  form  as  will  be 
suitable  for  a  house  lot."  The  barn  was  built  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road,  nearly  opposite  the  house,  which  stood  near  the  old  well, 
which  can  still  be  seen.    John  Brown,  who  owned  adjoining  land,  had 

21 


DOVER    FARMS 

in  connection  with  his  farm  a  grist  mill,  which  was  located  near  the 
source  of  Trout  book.  The  supply  of  water,  however,  was  inadequate, 
and  one  of  the  mill  buildings  was  moved  from  the  site  to  this  farm 
and  remodeled  into  a  house  by  JOHN  A.  HOWLAND  in  1829. 
This  house  was  removed  in  1906  when  Mrs.  Higbee  built  her  mansion. 
Mr.  Rowland  first  occupied  the  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  as 
a  separate  farm.  Many  waves  of  silk  culture  have  passed  over  this 
country  since  the  establishment  of  the  colonies.  One  swept  over 
Massachusetts  in  1836,  when  the  legislature  enacted  a  law  for  the 
encouragement  of  the  cultivation  of  silk,  giving  a  bounty  of  one  dollar 
for  every  pound  of  silk  raised  from  cocoons.  This  bounty  stimulated 
the  culture  of  silk-worms,  and  here  was  tried  by  Mrs.  Dix  the  experi- 
ment of  raising  silk-worms.  The  white  mulberry  tree,  on  the  leaves 
of  which  the  silk-worms  fed,  is  still  standing.  A  daughter  of  Mr. 
Bailey  Cobb  recalls  the  fact  that  when  she  lived  here  as  a  girl,  in 
order  to  take  the  public  conveyance  into  Boston,  she  was  obliged  to 
rise  at  4  o'clock  and  take  a  hasty  breakfast.  Now  a  resident  of  Dover 
can  take  a  morning  train  about  8  o'clock  and  be  in  Boston  in  half  an 
hour. — Bailey  Cobb,  Abner  L.  Smith. 

HEZEKIAH  ALLEN,  JR.'S  house  lot  was  the  nucleus  of  the  Proc- 
tor farm  (which  has  been  absorbed  by  the  Dorr  estate).  Mr.  Allen 
built  here  in  1749.  The  cellar  hole  of  his  house  can  still  be  seen  just 
west  of  the  site  of  the  Proctor  house,  which  was  removed  by  Mr.  Dorr 
in  1906.  This  old  cellar  hole  reminds  one  of  what  Thoreau  says  of 
a  cellar:  "Under  the  most  splendid  house  is  still  to  be  found  the  cellar 
where  they  store  their  roots  as  of  old,  and  long  after  the  superstructure 
has  disappeared  posterity  remarks  its  dent  in  the  earth.  The  house  is 
still  but  a  sort  of  porch  at  the  entrance  of  a  burrow."  The  story  is 
still  recalled,  by  members  of  the  Allen  family,  how  the  wolves  came 
down  from  Pegan  hill  one  Sunday  afternoon  and  attacked  the  sheep 
on  this  farm,  which  had  been  left  to  roam  while  the  family  was 
attending  church  at  Natick.  This  place  was  long  in  the  Allen  family, 
being  occupied  for  many  years  by  Ebenezer  Smith,  Jr.,  whose  wife  was 
Rebecca  Allen.  Mr.  Smith's  son,  Melancthon,  in  leaving  home  as  a 
boy,  walked  into  Boston,  where  he  sought  employment,  with  his  clothes 

22 


^ 

^ 


DOVIfiR    FARMS 

tied  up  in  a  bundle  handkerchief.  In  later  years  he  established  the 
firm  of  Smith  &  Sumner,  the  successful  wholesale  silk  merchants  of 
Boston. — Joseph  Smith,  Perez  Allen,  Wm.  Pitt  Allen,  Calvin  Allen, 
Ebenezer  Smith,  David  E.  Allen. 

Samuel  M.  Colcord's  farm  was  the  home  of  SAMUEL  METCALF, 
who  moved  here  from  Medway  in  1742.  As  far  as  known  he  was  the 
first  occupant  of  this  farm,  although  it  is  a  tradition  that  it  was  pre- 
viously owned  by  a  member  of  the  Mason  family.  Here  was  a  wheel- 
wright's shop,  in  connection  with  the  farm,  where  Samuel  Metcalf,  Jr., 
was  brought  up  to  the  trade;  he  subsequently  settled  in  Boston. 
John  Brown  lived  here,  and  being  a  thrifty  farmer,  it  was  for  many 
years  the  scene  of  much  business  activity.  This  beautiful  farm,  now 
called  "Hillcrest,"  is  owned  by  Benjamin  H.  Dorr,  who  has  in  his 
possession  one  of  the  finest  old  time  estates  in  the  county.  The  orig- 
inal settlers  in  this  town  showed  the  spirit  which  animated  the  first 
adventurers  on  these  New  England  shores.  They  were  men  of  worth, 
distinguished  alike  for  enterprise,  intelligence  and  love  of  liberty; 
above  all  they  were  religious  men,  as  the  founding  of  their  institutions 
shows.  Samuel  Metcalf  headed  the-petition  made  to  the  General  Court 
in  1748,  asking  for  the  incorporation  of  the  Dover  First  Parish. — 
Nathan  Metcalf,  Mason  Brown,  Albion  K.  Howe,  Capt.  John 
Humphrey. 

ALBION  K.  HOWE  remodeled  his  carpenter's  shop  in  1859,  con- 
verting it  into  a  dwelling  house,  which  was  occupied  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  John  M.  Brown.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  good  sportsman  and  was 
interested  in  bird  hunting  with  Abraham  Bigelow  and  his  sons,  E. 
Barton  Bigelow  and  George  H.  Bigelow.  Hunting  with  them  was 
not  a  pastime,  but  a  business,  as  the  large  amount  of  game  marketed 
shows.  While  the  fathers  were  hunting,  the  children  often  engaged 
in  the  fall  in  chestnutting,  which  is  as  old  as  the  settlement  of  the 
country.  Folk  of  all  ages,  especially  the  younger  members  of  the 
family,  have  kept  up  this  pastime.  In  the  early  time  large  quantities 
of  chestnuts  were  gathered  for  home  consumption  and  for  the  market. 
When  boiled  the  chestnut  furnishes  a  nutritious  article  of  food,  but 

23 


DOVER    FARMS 

the  strong  digestion  of  the  country  boys  and  girls  handled  large 
quantities  of  them  in  their  natural  state.  Mr.  Brown  died  in  the 
Civil  War,*  and  the  place  soon  after  passed  out  of  the  family.  The 
house  was  located  on  land  which  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Metcalf 
estate.  This  place  was  purchased  in  1911  by  James  W.  Austin,  who 
has  erected  an  attractive  house  of  the  concrete  construction. — Lewis 
Smith,  George  Welch,  John  H.  Faulk. 

WALLACE  R.  COLCORD  built  the  house  east  of  the  original 
farm  house  in  1899.  Here  he  erected  a  cider  mill,  an  institution  which 
was  introduced  into  the  Colony  about  1650,  and  was  once  found  on 
many  farms  in  Dover.  By  the  roadside  along  this  farm  chicory  may 
be  found  in  abundance.  This  flower  is  said  to  have  been  brought  to 
this  country  by  Gov.  Bowdoin  as  food  for  his  sheep. 

C.  M.  Koopman's  place  was  once  a  part  of  the  Slavin  farm.  The 
house  was  built  in  1843  by  Hiram  W.  Jones  for  WILLIAM  GREEN, 
wRo  lived  here  with  his  family  for  many  years.  Mr.  Green  was  the 
church  sexton,  and  we  can  see  him  now  hobbling  across  lots  from 
Farm  street  to  Springdale  avenue,  in  his  high-legged  "go-to-meeting 
boots,"  which  had  served  him  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

He  rang  the  first  bellf  on  Sunday  morning  at  9  o'clock,  and  the 
second  bell  at  10  o'clock,  with  the  tolling  of  the  bell  at  "meeting  time," 
which  ceased  when  the  minister  ascended  the  pulpit.  When  a  death 
occurred  in  the  parish  the  old  sexton  made  the  announcement  by  toll- 


*See  "Biographical  Sketches  of  Dover  Soldiers,"  published  by  the  town, 
1909. 

tThe  bell  put  into  the  second  meeting-house,  in  1811,  was  cast  by  Paul 
Revere,  and  weighed  1,040  pounds.  When  this  nieeting-house  was  burned 
in  1839,  the  bell  was  taken  to  East  Medway  and  recast  by  George  Holbrook 
and  hung  in  the  present  meeting-house.  As  it  contains  the  identical  metal 
proportioned  by  Paul  Revere  and  is  of  the  same  weight,  it  is  in  reality  a 
"Paul  Revere  bell."  The  first  time  the  recast  bell  was  rung  the  townspeople 
all  exclaimed,  "It  is  the  same  old  bell."  The  purity  of  the  tone  of  this  bell 
has  often  been  remarked.  This  statement  is  not  in  accordance  with  the 
parish  records,  but  Mr.  George  E.  Chickering,  the  oldest  resident  of  the 
town,  says  he  knows  it  to  be  a  fact,  as  his  father  was  the  Treasurer  of  the 
parish. 

24 


DOVER    FARMS 

ing  the  bell  a  few  moments ;  he  then  struck  the  bell  twice  two  times  if 
a  male,  and  three  times  three  times  if  a  female,  followed  by  a  stroke  for 
each  year  the  person  had  lived.  The  ringing  of  the  bell  and  the 
kindling  of  fires  was  the  chief  part  of  the  sexton's  duties.  Mrs. 
Green  was  an  enthusiastic  horticulturist  in  all  the  small  ways  that  her 
limited  means  allowed,  and  was  greatly  skilled  in  the  cultivation  of 
flowers,  plants  and  shrubs;  she  had  a  flower  garden  with  the  greatest 
variety  of  luxurious  blossoms  of  any  person  in  town.  The  sunny 
exposures  in  her  living  rooms  were  crowded  with  growing  plants,  and 
many  were  the  "slips"  furnished  to  the  women  of  the  neighborhood 
At  this  time  every  house  had  a  carefully  tended  collection  of  indoor 
flowers,  which  added  greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  home  and  the 
pleasure  of  farm  life  during  the  winter  and  spring  months. 

John  A.  Knowles'  estate  was  originally  a  part  of  a  tract  of  land 

which  belonged  to  the  John  Draper  place,  and  included  the  farms  of 

Irving  Colburn  and  the  late  William  Whiting.     JOSEPH  DRAPER 

settled  here  in  1725,  and  probably  built  his  house  at  that  time.     The 

last  member  of  the  Draper  family  to  occupy  this  farm  was  Jesse 

Draper,  who  married  his  cousin,  Lois  Draper,  and  came  here  to  live. 

The  farm  passed  out  of  the  Draper  family  in  1821.*      Slave  labor 

was  once  employed  on  this  farm.     Joseph  Draper  inherited,  with  his 

brother  John,  from  his  father's  estate,  "a  negro  man."     Slavery  was 

the  first  of  the  ancient  customs  to  pass  away  in  this  town.     For  a  long 

time  there  were  "nigger  pews"  assigned  in  the  meeting-house.     Polly 

Green,  a  domestic  in  the  family  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sanger,  and  Nathan 

Coffee,  who  worked  on  Dover  farms,  were  the  last  to  occupy  these 

pews.     Mr.  Knowles  has  built  on  the  high  land  on  the  north  side  of 

the  road,  a  large  brick  house  with  stone  trimmings.     This  farm  had 

for  years  an  old-fashioned  cider  press,  which  was  run  by  Reuben 

Griggs  and  probably  by  earlier  occupants.      Cider  was  consumed  in 

large  quantities  and  often  distilled  into  cider-brandy  or  apple-jack. — 

Thomas  Draper,  James  Draper,  Hiram  W.  Jones. 

*It  was  the  life  on  this  farm  that  Miss  Alice  J.  Jones  has  so  well  de- 
scribed in  "Dover  on  the  Charles."  The  occupation  of  a  thrifty  New  England 
family,  which  included  not  only  the  houseworl<,  but  the  employment  of 
women  in  binding  shoes,  braiding  straw,  sewing  straw,  weaving  palm  leaf 
for  Shaker  bonnets,  and  the  making  of  paper  bags,  Is  faithfully  described  by 
Miss  Jones.  25 


Dover  farms 


THOMAS  MERRIFIELD  was  among  the  early  comers  to  the 
parish;  he  is  believed  to  have  settled  here  in  1736.  The  Merrifields 
were  seated  in  the  meeting-house  as  late  as  1769,  but  left  the 
parish  before  the  Revolution.  Thomas  Merrifield's  house  was  some- 
where on  the  Draper  land  bounded  by  Farm  and  Pegan  streets,  but 
the  exact  location  has  not  been  determined.  The  lot  contained  about 
an  acre  of  land,  as  shown  by  the  dower  of  Lois  Draper,  widow  of 
James  Draper,  which  is  described  as  "excepting  and  reserving  twelve 
rods  square  where  the  house  of  Thomas  Merryfield  did  stand,  which  is 
included  within  the  said  bounds."  A  century  ago  iron  ore  was  gath- 
ered in  the  lowlands  on  some  farms,  which  was  transported  to  a 
foundry  in  Walpole,  but  the  gathering  of  iron  ore  was  never  an 
industry. 

WILLIAM  KING  built  the  house  which  stands  beside  the  unused 
blacksmith  shop  in  1873.  Here  had  been  located  a  blacksmith  shop 
for  many  years.  In  the  rear  of  the  shop  was  placed  the  "lockup," 
where  tramps  were  lodged  by  the  town.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the 
civil  war  tramps  commenced  to  be  common.  They  were  at  first  cared 
for  by  the  members  of  the  board  of  selectmen,  but  as  they  increased  in 
numbers  a  tramp-house  was  provided.  This  annoyance  reached  its 
high-water  mark  in  1879,  when  nine  hundred  and  eighty-six  persons 
were  cared  for  at  the  expense  of  the  town.  To  abate  this  nuisance  all 
able-bodied  men,  who  had  received  a  supper,  breakfast,  and  a  lodging, 
were  required  to  perform  some  manual  labor  for  two  hours  in  the 
morning.  Whenever  possible  they  were  employed  on  the  highway. 
This  pest  continued  until  less  comfortable  quarters  were  provided  in 
the  cells  under  the  town  hall,  with  a  ration  of  crackers  and  water. 

Irving  Colburn's  farm  originally  belonged  in  the  major  part  to  the 
John  Draper  estate.  The  present  house  was  built  in  1804  by  EBEN- 
EZER  SMITH,  JR.,  who  also  built  the  wheelwright's  shop,  which 
was  removed  in  1905,  and  in  which  was  carried  on  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury a  wheelwright's  business  by  Rufus  Battelle  and  his  son,  George 
Battelle.  The  bricks  used  in  the  end  walls  of  this  house  were  burned 
on  this  farm  from  clay  taken  from  a  clay  pit  near  Trout  brook.     With 

26 


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DOVER    FARM^ 

probably  a  large  deposit  of  clay  in  these  meadows,  brick  burning, 
which  was  something  of  an  industry  here  a  century  and  a  half  ago, 
may  some  day  be  resumed.  Certainly  the  bricks  used  more  than  a 
hundred  years  ago  in  the  building  of  Mr.  Colburn's  house  have  endur- 
ing qualities.  Mr.  Smith  sold  the  estate  and  moved  to  Ashford,  Conn., 
where  he  built  a  mill  and  went  into  business.  Later  his  mill  was 
swept  away  by  a  flood,  and  he  returned  to  Dover  with  his  family. 
After  his  return  Mr.  Smith  followed  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  for  many 
years.  He  walked  to  his  work  with  his  box  of  tools  in  his  hand, 
starting  out  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  summer,  as  a  day's  work 
was  from  "sun  to  sun."  Mr.  Smith  did  much  work  in  Boston.  He 
often  left  home  at  two  o'clock  on  Monday  morning,  with  a  kit  of  tools 
on  his  back,  and  walked  into  Boston,  where  he  arrived  in  time  to  do 
a  full  day's  work.  After  making  such  purchases  as  he  desired,  he 
walked  back  to  Dover  on  Saturday  evening,  to  take  up  the  same  round 
of  work  again  on  Monday  morning.  At  this  time  the  hours  of  labor 
for  women  and  children  were  long,  and  under  the  influence  of  the 
genius  of  mechanical  industry,  which  commenced  in  Massachusetts  in 
1836,  young  children  were  obliged  to  work  fourteen  hours  a  day.  In 
the  Lowell  mills,  where  the  conditions  at  this  time  were  most  favorable 
to  the  operatives,  the  working  hours  of  all  the  children  extended  from 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  with  half 
an  hour  for  breakfast  and  for  dinner.  These  conditions  continued 
until  1842,  when  the  hours  of  labor  for  children  under  twelve  years 
were  made  ten  hours  a  day. — Rufus  Battelle. 

^         ^         ^i 

PEGAN  STREET  extends  from  Farm  street  toward  the  summit  of 
Pegan  hill.  It  bears  an  Indian  name,  and  Indians  of  this 
family  lived  in  the  vicinity  within  the  memory  of  living  men.  They 
wandered  from  house  to  house,  offering  their  baskets*  for  sale  and 
always  asking  for  a  drink  of  cider  or  rum.  During  the  last  years  of 
their  residence  in  Natick  they  were  a  nuisance  to  the  people  there  and 
to  those  in  the  surrounding  towns.  The  writer  recalls  that  his  grand- 
mother used  to  tell  how  a  squaw  came  to  her  home  one  day  and  com- 

*A  good  specimen  of  an  Indian  basket  is  found  in  tlie  collection  of  the 
Dover  Historical  Society. 

27 


DOVER    FARMS 

plained  of  a  severe  toothache,  which  she  said  would  be  instantly 
cured  if  she  could  hold  a  little  rum  in  her  mouth.  The  good  woman, 
out  of  the  kindness  of  her  heart,  took  down  the  family  decanter  and 
handed  it  to  the  squaw,  who  took  swallow  after  swallow,  declaring  she 
did  not  know  why  it  was,  but  she  could  not  hold  a  drop  of  the  liquor 
in  her  mouth  for  a  minute,  but  declared  that  she  would  do  so  if  she 
had  to  drink  a  quart. 

HEZEKIAH  ALLEN*  settled  the  farm  at  the  head  of  this  street  in 
1723.  It  is  one  of  the  beautiful  farms  of  eastern  Massachusetts  and 
commands  a  perfect  view,  meeting  Ruskin's  most  exacting  requirement 
in  that  it  takes  in  a  view  of  the  horizon.  An  ancient  writer  said, 
"There  are  none  happy  in  the  world  but  beings  who  enjoy  freely  a 
vast  horizon."  It  is  only  a  few  years  since  that  this  farm  passed  out 
of  the  Allen  family.  Here  was  located  the  smallpox  hospital,  where 
the  people  of  the  town  went  to  be  inoculated  for  smallpox.  Bounds 
were  established,  and  no  one  was  allowed  to  go  beyond  the  limits 
under  penalty  of  a  fine.  For  the  patients  that  were  convalescent  farmers 
used  to  carry  apples,  pears  and  peaches  by  the  bushels  and  pitch 
them  over  the  fence  at  night  or  in  the  early  morning.  Unlike  other 
families,  so  far  as  known,  the  Aliens  of  Medfield,  of  whom  Hezekiah 
Allen  and  his  descendants  are  worthy  members,  have  had  a  series  of 
family  songs  which  through  passing  generations  have  been  sung 
around  the  Allen  iiresides  and  repeated  at  all  family  reunions.     The 

*It  is  Interesting  to  know  who  as  carpenters  built,  or  helped  to  build,  the 
houses  of  the  town.  None  were  more  useful  as  citizens.  At  first,  timber 
was  cut  in  the  forests  and  hauled  in  to  be  mortised  and  raised  by  the  men 
of  the  neighborhood,  as  was  the  house  of  Thomas  Larrabee,  which  was 
raised  by  his  comrades  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  On  such  occasions  rye 
bread  and  cheese  with  new  rum  were  furnished  in  abundance.  Later  many 
of  the  substantial  houses  of  the  town  were  built  by  men  who  were  "handy 
with  tools,"  assisted  perhaps  by  a  carpenter  of  the  town.  Hezekiah  Allen 
was  the  first  carpenter  of  which  we  have  record.  John  Bacon  was  a  house- 
wright  in  1745,  and  probably  built  in  1756  the  McGill  cottage  on  Main  street, 
which  was  his  brother  Richard's  house.  Ralph  Day  was  a  carpenter,  and 
built  the  Sullivan  house  on  Strawberry  hill  in  1755.  Samuel  Wilson,  Jr., 
was  a  carpenter,  and  was  living  here  in  1792.  He  was  followed  by  a  long 
list  of  carpenters,  son.e  of  whom  were  contractors  of  large  buildings  In 
other  towns,  as  Ebenezer  Smith,  Daniel  Mann,  Leonard  Gay,  Luther  Rich- 
ards, Charles  Marden,  James  H.  Wight,  Hiram  W.  Jones,  and  Daniel  Mann, 
2nd. 

28 


DOVER    FARMS 

late  Joseph  A.  Allen  did  a  worthy  service  in  making  a  collection  of 
these  songs,*  which  he  set  to  music.  They  are  believed  to  be  unlike 
any  other  collection  in  this  country,  and  illustrate  how  accurately 
words  may  be  repeated  by  "living  lips  to  listening  ears"  through  gen- 
erations. Here  for  many  years  Sumner  Allen  carried  on  a  slaughter- 
ing and  general  market  business,  which  was  continued  for  a  time  by 
John  P.  Bachelder.  Previous  to  about  1860  all  mowing  on  Dover 
farms  was  done  by  hand,  as  it  had  been  done  for  two  hundred  years. 
In  haying  time  farmers  rose  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  mowed  a 
couple  of  hours  before  their  six  o'clock  breakfast,  after  which  they 
mowed  again  until  10  o'clock.  While  Hiram  W.  Jones  is  believed  to 
have  owned  the  first  mowing  machine  in  Dover,  he  was  soon  followed 
by  Jared  Allen,  Calvin  Richard  of  Strawberry  hill,  and  Henry 
Goulding  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  These  farmers  not  only  did 
the  mowing  on  their  own  farms,  but  went  out  to  do  mowing  for  other 
farmers,  as  well,  at  $1.50  per  acre.  Calvin  Richards,  with  the  aid  of 
a  fourteen-year-old  boy,  illustrated  the  utility  of  farm  machinery  in 
gathering  his  entire  hay  crop  in  an  incredibly  short  time  by  means 
of  the  mowing  machine,  tedder,  horse  rake,  and  the  horse  pitchfork. 
Before  the  introduction  of  farm  machinery  the  gathering  of  the  hay 
crop  was  with  some  farmers  an  all  summer  job.  By  1865  the  farmers 
of  Dover  were  quite  generally  supplied  with  the  one  horse  "Union 
Mowing  Machine."  Previous  to  1840  all  farm  labor  was  done  by 
hand,  with  the  exception  of  plowing,  hoeing,  and  hauling.  With  the 
grain  in  hand  it  was  sown  broadcast  in  the  field,  cut  by  the  scythe  or 
cradle,  thrashed  by  the  flail  and  winnowed  by  the  breeze.  All  kinds 
of  vegetables  were  planted,  cultivated  and  gathered  by  hand.  Nor 
was  the  situation  different  in  the  home,  where  the  only  machines  were 
the  spinning  wheel  and  the  chum.  This  crude  labor  produced 
nothing  but  an  over-abundant  supply  of  food  and  clothes. 

The  Pegan  hill  farm  has  been  divided  in  recent  years.     R.  GOR- 
HAM  FULLER  has  the  Nawn  farm,t  on  which  he  has  erected  a 

*A  copy  may  be  found  in  the  Dover  Public  Library. 

tNamed  for  M.  E.  Nawn,  who  owned  the  farm  for  a  few  years. 

29 


DOVER    FARMS 

beautiful  house,  while  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  CORWIN  MC- 
DOWELL, has  a  fine  place  which  he  has  named  the  Allen  farm,  in 
honor  of  the  Allen  family,  which  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half 
represented  the  history  and  traditions  of  the  town. — Hezekiah  Allen, 
Jr.,  Timothy  Allen. 

•I*       •!•       ^ 

WIGHT  STREET  was  named  for  the  Seth  Wight  branch  of  the 
family,  who  lived  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  Members 
of  the  Wight  family  settled,  much  earlier,  however,  on  Dedham  street 
near  Noanet  brook.  Wight  street  extends  west  from  Farm  street  to 
Glen  street.  The  old  part  of  this  street  west  of  Glen  street  is  no 
longer  used  as  a  public  highway. 

JONATHAN  MASON  had  a  homestead  at  the  left,  and  nearly 
at  the  end  of  the  old  street,  which  was  known  for  many  years  as 
"Wight's  lane."  It  was  an  old,  low-studded  house,  and  was  built 
in  1730;  it  remained  standing  until  within  a  few  years.  Mr.  Mason 
sold  his  farm  to  Seth  Wight  of  Medfield  in  1747.  Mr.  Wight  did 
not  occupy  the  farm  himself,  but  his  son,  Seth,  Jr.,  took  up  his  resi- 
dence here  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  In  1774  Seth  Wight, 
Jr.,  purchased  of  Ebenezer  Newell,  the  adjoining  farm,  which  in- 
cluded a  part  of  the  farm  of  the  late  Thomas  McGill  and  the  Welch 
place.  The  time  was  when  no  house  was  complete  without  the  sur- 
rounding fence.  The  idea  is  an  inheritance  from  ancient  days, 
when  each  man's  house  was  his  fort,  and  this  custom  came  to  America 
with  the  first  settlers.  How  well  we  remember  this  old  fenced-in 
house.  With  increasing  crops  there  were  increasing  cattle  to  destroy 
them.  The  Puritans  developed  the  New  England  stone  wall,  the 
most  charming  of  all  fences.  People  coming  from  outside  of  New 
England  and  city-bred  visitors  to  the  country,  says  Freeman  Tilden, 
seldom  fail  to  marvel  at  these  never-ending  fences  built  of  round, 
flat,  whole  and  broken  stones,  piled  one  upon  another  with  seeming 
carelessness,  yet  withstanding  the  test  of  time  as  no  other  fence  could 
possibly  do.  ''A  rod  a  day,"  was  the  slogan.  Sixteen  and  a  half  feet 
of  that  work  was  surely  no  child's  play.  It  was  an  ideal,  or  the 
symbol  of  an  ideal.     It  stood  for  industry  and  later  for  independence. 

30 


^ 

.^i 


^ 


DOVER    FARMS 

Those  New  England  stone  walls  helped  sign  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, helped  wallop  the  British  infantry,  and  likewise  furnished 
convenient  shelter  for  the  patriot  sharpshooters,  as  they  did  on  the 
road  from  Boston  to  Lexington  and  Concord,  in  April,  '75.  Many 
stone  walls  on  Dover  farms  which  owners  are  now  removing  were 
built  by  the  farmer  by  moonlight  after  a  hard  day's  work,  of  the 
stones  removed  in  clearing  and  developing  the  soil.  Fenced  lots  have 
always  caused  disputes:  the  question  always  arising  whether  the 
fence  was  in  proper  condition  to  keep  the  cattle  in  or  keep  them  out. 
Fence-viewers  are  still  appointed,  whose  duty  it  is  to  look  after  fences 
and  settle  disputes.  The  McGill  farm  comprised  the  original  Jon- 
athan Mason  place  and  a  part  of  the  Ebenezer  Newell  estate.  The 
former  was  purchased  by  Thomas  McGill,  in  1857,  and  the  latter  in 
1866.  CALEB  WIGHT  built  the  house  in  which  Mr.  McGill  lived 
and  occupied  it  for  many  years.  It  was  in  the  process  of  construc- 
tion during  the  great  wind  storm  of  1815,  and  the  roof  was  held  in 
place  by  means  of  heavy  chains  which  Mr.  Wight  applied.  At  the 
door  of  every  house  stood  the  leach  barrel,  where  in  the  spring  the 
year's  supply  of  ashes  were  leached  for  the  lye  used  in  making  the 
family  soap  and  in  hulling  corn,  of  which  large  quantities  were  used. 
When  required,  potash  could  be  made  from  the  lye.  Caleb  Wight's 
farm  was  originally  a  part  of  his  father's  estate,  and  joined  on  the 
north  the  Indian  farm  at  Natick,  of  which  Mr.  Wight  was  at  one 
time  a  joint  owner  with  Draper  Smith.  The  life  of  the  surviving 
Indians  was  of  interest  as  witnessed  by  the  owners.  While  their  cul- 
tivated fields  of  corn  and  beans  had  gone  to  neglect,  yet  their  apple 
orchards  still  bore  large  quantities  of  fruit.  They  had  berries,  wild 
grapes,  ground-nuts,  chestnuts  and  walnuts,  together  with  some 
edible  roots.  The  Indians  had  in  their  food  list  neither  cakes,  pies, 
jams,  preserves,  candy  or  confections.  In  the  spring  they  made 
maple  sugar,  for  the  time  being  cooling  it  on  the  snow.  The  only 
cake  made  by  the  Indians  consisted  of  meal  mixed  with  a  quantity  of 
fat  and  baked  on  heated  stones.  Their  great  dish,  a  kind  of  stew 
or  porridge,  was  kept  on  the  fire  where  the  Indians  could  at  any  time 
help  themselves. — James  McGill. 

31 


DOVER    FARMS 

Thomas  Welch's  place  was  a  part  of  the  Ebenezer  Newell  fami. 
The  first  house  was  built  here  by  NATHANIEL  SMITH  in  1762. 
It  was  removed  by  the  late  Frederick  H.  Wight,  who  built  a  new 
house  in  1847,  which  was  burned  some  years  since.  Here  Mr.  Wight 
started  his  market  business,  which  was  later  moved  to  the  centre  of 
the  town,  and  in  which  he  continued  for  nearly  fifty  years.  His 
father,  Asa  Wight,  looked  after  the  little  farm,  while  he  engaged  in 
trade  and  the  making  of  shoes.  On  this  part  of  the  original  estate 
a  cider  mill  was  early  located,  which  was  in  operation  for  many 
years.  All  of  the  above  farms  are  now  included  in  Graystone,  the 
three-hundred  acre  estate  of  ARTHUR  E.  DAVIS,  who  has  built 
here  a  beautiful  house  of  field  stones  gathered  on  his  surrounding 
acres.  With  all  the  beauty  and  luxury  on  this  farm  to-day  we  are 
reminded  of  the  time  when  on  these  original  farms  only  the  best  room 
had  a  carpet  and  the  Jew's-harp  was  the  only  musical  instrument.  In 
the  years  following  the  Civil  War  there  was  a  wonderful  transforma- 
tion in  the  home  life  of  the  people  of  this  town. — Aaron  Wight, 

Asa  Wight,  William  T.  Welch. 

•I*         ^         4« 

GLEN  STREET  extends  from  Farm  street  to  the  Natick  line  on 
the  north.  This  road,  in  connection  with  the  part  in  Natick, 
is  of  peculiar  interest  as  leading  through  a  section  of  the  country 
which  was  intimately  associated  with  the  life  of  the  "Praying 
Indians."  Along  this  road  are  still  to  be  seen,  in  the  town  of  Natick, 
the  site  of  early  Indian  homes.  On  the  "Indian  farm,"  the  entrance 
to  which  is  soon  passed  at  the  left  after  crossing  the  boundary  line, 
are  several  marked  sites  where  Indians  once  lived.  The  home  of 
Hannah  Dexter,  the  celebrated  Indian  doctor,  is  marked  by  the  stone 
slab  numbered  2.  Here  she  met  a  tragic  death  in  1821.  The  monu- 
ment numbered  4  marks  a  spot  where  Indians  lived  as  late  as  1833. 
The  last  Natick  Indian  died  in  1875.  There  are  other  sites  on  Glen 
road  where  Indian  settlements  were  made  nearly  two  hundred  years 
ago.  Mr.  Eliot  tells  us,  with  much  clearness,  that  the  settlement  was 
commenced  here  in  1650.  When  Dean  Stanley  visited  America  some 
years  ago,  he  was  asked  what  places  he  would  like  to  visit.  His 
reply  was  significant:   "I  want  to  see  the  spot  where  the  Pilgrims 

32 


DOVER    FARMS 

landed  and  where  the  Apostle  Eliot  preached  to  the  Indians."  A 
charm  rests  upon  this  region,  for  those  who  have  an  interest  in  the 
Indians  of  Massachusetts  bay.  This  region  seems  to  have  belonged 
to  different  Indian  tribes  or  families.  Over  this  territory  the  Indians 
chased  the  deer,  and  in  Charles  river  and  the  surounding  ponds 
(Cochituate  and  Farm  lake,  of  which  the  latter  has  no  Indian  name), 
they  caught  in  summer  and  in  winter  a  supply  of  fish.  On  the 
waters  of  the  Charles  and  Neponset  rivers  they  plied  their  canoes, 
which  were  not  much  less  numerous  than  those  seen  on  these  streams 
to-day.  By  means  of  Charles  river,  the  Indians  were  enabled  to 
reach  Mendon  and  the  Blackstone  valley,  as  well  as  the  territory 
tributary  to  this  stream  in  Watertown,  Newton,  Dedham,  Needham, 
Wellesley,  Dover,*  Natick,  Sherbom,  Medfield,  Millis,  Medway, 
Bellingham,  and  other  towns.  From  Charles  river  the  Indians  made 
a  short  cut  to  Narragansett  bay,  the  home  of  Massasoit  and  his  son, 
King  Philip.  Through  the  waters  of  the  Neponset  river  they  reached 
the  territory  around  Milton,  Canton  and  Sharon,  while  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  brought  them  to  Taunton  and  the  old  colony.  From 
the  exceedingly  rich  flora  of  this  section,  the  Indian  gathered  herbs 
for  medicines.  William  Edwards,  Curator  and  Collector  for  the 
Botanical  Department  of  Wellesley  College,  used  to  say  that  he 
found  a  greater  variety  of  plants  in  this  vicinity  than  any  other  given 
area  in  Massachusetts.  Having  read  in  one  of  Dr.  Asa  Gray's  books 
of  a  certain  fern,  which  the  author  stated  did  not  grow  south  of 
Labrador,  Mr.  Edwards  got  into  his  boat,  rowed  up  Charles  river  to 
a  certain  point,  where  he  gathered  a  specimen  of  the  species  in  ques- 
tion, which  he  presented  the  next  day  to  the  astonished  professor  at 
Cambridge. 

♦Readers  of  the  town  records  will  some  time  run  across  a  vote  of  the 
town,  passed  at  its  annual  meeting,  accepting  the  manuscript  of  "A  Hand- 
Book  of  Dover,"  which  was  ordered  printed.  At  a  subsequent  meeting, 
thinly  attended,  this  vote  was  rescinded.  It  is  recalled  that  one  speaker,  in 
favoring  the  reconsideration,  said  that  when  the  town  wanted  such  a  work 
she  would  pay  for  it.  This  book  is  essentially  the  nrianuscript  that  was 
rejected,  somewhat  curtailed  in  treatment.  Perhaps  it  will  some  time  be 
estimated  how  rhuch  such  a  book  would  cost  if  prepared  by  a  vote  of  the 
town. 

33 


DOVER    FARMS 

John  McClure's  farm  was  originally  owned  by  his  stepfather, 
CALEB  KENRICK,  who  made  the  first  purchase  of  land  here  from 
his  brother,  John  Kenrick.  The  house  was  erected  in  1859  by  Caleb 
Kenrick.  Mr.  McClure  enlarged  the  farm  sevearl  times  through 
purchases  of  adjoining  land,  and  in  1910  erected  a  house  for  his  son, 
WILLIAM  A.  McCLURE. 

DANA  C.  HANCHETT'S  house  (burned  a  few  years  since)  was 
built  in  1878  by  himself  and  J.  FRANKLIN  RICHARDS,  on  land 
which  was  a  part  of  the  farm  of  their  father-in-law,  James  Draper. 
After  some  years  Mr.  Richards  sold  his  interest  in  the  place  and 
moved  to  Southern  Pines,  N.  C.  Here  Mr.  Hanchett  carried  on  a 
prosperous  milk  business. 

4*       4-       4- 

SMITH  STREET  extends  from  Farm  street  to  the  farm  formerly 
owned  by  Freeman  A.  Parmenter.  The  beautiful  Dingle  hole,  or 
"Rocky  Narrows,"  as  it  has  been  more  recently  called,  is  reached  from 
the  foot  of  this  street.  The  land  on  the  Dover  side  belongs  to  the  Com- 
monwealth, being  a  part  of  the  Asylum  property,  while  that  on  the 
other,  the  Sherbom  side,  consisting  of  twenty-one  acres,  is  held  by 
the  Trustees  of  Public  Reservations,  being  the  gift  of  Augustus 
Hemenway.  The  "Gate  of  the  Charles,"  as  the  Narrows  are  some- 
times called,  is  the  most  beautiful  spot  on  Charles  river,  with  the 
charm  of  seclusion  which  rests  upon  it,  and  one  of  the  finest  in 
eastern  Massachusetts.  On  Smith  street  was  one  of  the  first  ice 
houses  or  cellars  in  town.  It  was  removed  before  1860,  which  indi- 
cates its  early  erection.  It  was  built  by  the  Smith  Brothers  and  used 
in  connection  with  their  market  and  meat  business.  Refrigerators 
and  ice  chests  are  of  comparatively  recent  introduction.  Previous  to 
their  use,  all  provisions  were  kept  on  the  earth-floored  cellar  bottom, 
or  hung  in  deep  wells,  while  cans  of  milk  were  cooled  in  springs. 
Elecampane,  which  used  to  be  so  common,  being  used  for  medicinal 
purposes,  grows  along  this  road,  and  perhaps  this  is  now  the  only 
spot  in  town  where  this  herb  is  found. 

JOSEPH  A.  SMITH  built  in  1856,  on  land  which  had  previously 

34 


g 

K 

^ 


CO 
-Si 

CO 
o 


CO 


DOVER    FARMS 

been  a  part  of  his  father^s  estate,  the  house  now  occupied  by  Judge 
John  Duff.  Mr.  Smith  used  the  divining-rod  and  could  unerringly 
locate  springs  of  water.  Farmers  sought  his  aid  when  sinking  wells 
and  valued  his  assistance;  he  often  estimated  with  excellent  judg- 
ment the  number  of  feet  that  a  well  would  have  to  be  sunk.  He  often 
cut  a  fresh  witch-hazel  rod,  but  sometimes  employed  split  whalebone. 
In  using  the  divining-rod  the  legs  were  held  in  the  hands,  and  when 
a  spring  or  vein  of  water  was  crossed,  the  point  would  turn  down; 
the  power  was  often  shown  in  the  cracked  bark  of  the  stick  when 
resistance  was  offered.  The  divining-rod  has  been  known  from  time 
immemorial  throughout  the  whole  Eastern  hemisphere.  The  power 
is  probably  analagous  to  magnetism  and  electricity.  Mr.  Smith  had 
a  small  fruit  garden,  with  black  currants  (which  were  used  medicin- 
ally), red  and  white  currants,  high  blackberries,  white  thimble 
berries,  red  raspberries,  and  near  at  hand  was  the  caraway  patch, 
from  which  the  seed  was  carefully  gathered  and  sold  to  the  nearest 
baker.  Amid  all  this  wealth  of  nature  the  people  never  had  the  open 
air  habit,  and  before  the  middle  of  the  last  century  there  were  no 
houses  with  piazzas  where  one  could  sit  out  of  doors  and  enjoy  the 
fresh  air.  The  first  piazza  added  to  a  house  in  its  construction  was 
probably  built  by  Joseph  A.  Smith  in  the  erection  of  the  house  now 
occupied  by  Dr.  W.  C.  Porter  in  1844.*  It  is  still  true  that  "we  of 
the  older  stock  remain  undeveloped  on  the  side  of  open  air  tastes 
and  pleasures;"  for  generations  our  ancestors  cut  themselves  off  from 
fresh  air  in  living  and  sleeping  rooms.  There  was  no  protection 
from  flies  and  mosquitoes,  and  for  months  in  the  spring  and  summer 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  live  with  open  windows.  While  the  early 
piazzas  were  used  more  for  the  protection  of  plants  from  early  frosts, 
the  ripening  of  seed  cucumbers,  melons  and  squashes,  than  for  the 
fresh  air  of  the  family,  nevertheless  they  were  suggestive  of  out-of- 
door  life,  and  in  time  have  come  to  be  enjoyed.  It  is  a  hopeful  sign 
when  men  are  asking  themselves  "why  the  windows  of  their  dwell- 
ings are  drawn  by  the  architects  so  small,  and  why  parlors  are  made 
III  I 

♦W^hether  the  piazza  on  the  Pokanoket  Club  House  was  built  with  the 
house  by  Capt.  John  Shumway  in  1813  Is  unknown,  but  it  is  believed  to  have 
been  added  later. 

35 


DOVER    FARMS 

so  gloomy,  more  fit  for  the  residence  of  a  hermit  than  a  happy- 
hearted  man." 

The  Smith  farm,  owned  in  part  by  the  late  Robert  S.  Minot  and 
in  part  by  Dr.  Porter,  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  settled  in  the  westerly 
part  of  Dover.  Here  was  a  fortification*  against  the  Indians,  which 
was  standing  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century.  The  spot  is  now 
marked  by  a  patch  of  tansy,  west  of  the  farm  spring,  which  has 
grown  there  through  many  generations.  The  farm  was  originally  a 
part  of  JONATHAN  PLIMPTON'S  estate  of  Medfield.  Mr. 
Plimpton  probably  built  the  first  set  of  farm  buildings.  It  was  in- 
cluded in  the  inventory  of  his  estate  in  1749.  The  farm  was  pur- 
chased by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Timothy  Guy,  of  her  brother,  in  1754. 
The  first  buildings  on  the  farm  stood  about  midway  between  the 
extreme  ends  of  the  street,  near  the  never-failing  spring,  which 
during  dry  periods  has  supplied  the  immediate  neighbors  with  water 
through  many  generations.  Bountiful  springs  are  always  found  near 
the  houses  of  pioneer  settlers.  The  house  on  this  farm  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  town,  having  been  moved  from  the  north  part  of  Medfield 
previous  to  1790,  where  it  was  occupied  by  David  Morse  and  family. 
William  S.  Tilden,  the  historian  of  Medfield,  gave  it  as  his  opinion, 
derived  from  history  and  tradition,  that  this  house  was  built  perhaps 
as  early  as  1730,  and  not  later  than  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Morse's  son 
Seth  in  1741,  who  settled  on  the  homestead,  but  was  drowned  with 
two  sons,  in  Charles  river,  in  1753.  This  is  the  oldest  house  now 
occupied  in  Dover.  Its  timbers  of  oak  were  hewn  with  the  broad 
axe.  The  roof  and  walls  were  covered  with  oak  boards,  and  the 
shingles  and  clapboards  held  with  wrought  iron  nails,  which  had 
been  made  at  a  smithy.  The  windows  on  the  ground  floor  were  all 
fitted  with  sliding  shutters,  paneled  and  provided  with  iron  hooks. 
Rooms  thus  furnished  could  be  made  at  noonday  as  dark  as  the 
darkest  night.  The  windows  in  all  old  houses  were  furnished  with 
window  sticks,  which  when  placed  in  the  run  made  for  the  lower  sash 
held  all  windows  securely  fastened.      The  outside  doors  were  made 

•A  pane  of  glass  taken  from  this  old  fortification  is  In  the  rooms  of  the 
Dover  Historical  Society. 


DoVfiR   FARMS 

of  a  double  thickness  of  oak  boards  placed  diagonally  and  held  to- 
gether by  wrought  iron  nails,  which  were  firmly  clinched  on  the 
inside.  It  has  been  often  remarked  that  these  doors  looked  as  though 
they  had  been  built  to  keep  the  Indians  out.  In  this  old  house  the 
heavy  oak  timbers  were  exposed  in  the  sleeping  rooms  and  remained 
unplastered  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  In  the  parlor  or  "front 
room,"  the  north  side,  which  contained  the  fireplace,  brick  oven*  and 
cupboard,  was  finished  in  wood  elaborately  paneled,  and  after  many 
years  painted  white.  For  a  long  time  after  the  settlement  of  the 
town,  no  paint  was  used  on  houses;  nature  was  allowed  to  put  on  her 
subdued  tints,  but  later  this  house,  like  many  others,  was  painted  red, 
with  white  trimmings.  Before  being  remodeled,  it  was  of  the  "lean 
to"  construction,  like  most  ancient  houses.  Long  after  the  house  had 
been  moved  to  its  present  site,  water  was  taken  from  the  spring  be- 
fore mentioned  for  all  household  purposes,  and  the  housewife  often 
carried  water  in  pails  this  long  distance  for  washing  purposes  on 
Monday  morning.  When  the  well  was  sunk,  the  windlass  was  intro- 
duced, which  was  followed  later  by  the  well-sweep  and 

"The  old  oaken  bucket, 
The  iron-bound  bucket, 
The  moss-covered  bucket, 
Which  hung  in  the  well." 

The   invention   of   the   wooden   pump   was   hailed   with   delight, 

♦We  remember  seeing  the  old  brick  oven  used  at  Thanlcsgiving.  It  was 
first  filled  with  fagots,  which  had  been  carefully  prepared,  lighted  and 
burned  out,  which  imparted  to  the  brick  the  right  degree  of  heat.  The 
ashes  were  then  removed.  At  the  farther  end  were  put  the  beans,  followed 
by  the  brown  bread  and  pies  and  cakes,  all  of  which  were  put  in  place  by 
the  long-handled  wooden  shovel.  These  were  all  allowed  to  stay  in  the  oven 
the  necessary  time,  and  were  taken  out  in  the  reversed  order  from  that  In 
which  they  have  been  named.  In  cold  weather  the  eggs  and  the  ink  bottle 
were  kept  in  the  brick  oven,  which  was  so  well  protected  from  the  winter 
blast.  Later,  cooking  was  done  in  the  tin  kitchen  placed  on  the  hearth; 
meat  and  poultry  were  roasted  before  the  fire  on  the  spit. 
"Between  the  andiron's  straddling  feet, 

The  mug  of  cider  simmered  slow,  .,  .    .,  .*=.. 

The  apples  sputtered  in  a  row. 

And,  close  at  hand,  the  basket  stood,  „ 

With  nuts  from  brown  October's  wood."  /      , 

37 


DOVER    FARMS 

although  it  was  more  serviceable  in  summer  than  in  winter.  On 
cold  winter  mornings  a  kettle  of  boiling  water  was  always  required 
to  thaw  the  pump  out.  Two  wells  were  sunk  on  this  farm,  one  on 
the  north  side  and  one  on  the  south  side  of  the  house,  which  were 
respectively  forty-two  and  forty-four  feet  deep.  These  wells  were  at 
one  time  furnished  with  wooden  pumps,  made  by  John  Bacon  of 
South  Natick,  who  for  many  years  supplied  the  surrounding  towns, 
but  they  were  not  very  serviceable,  as  it  was  hard  to  raise  water  so 
many  feet.  They  were  later  abandoned  and  the  windlass  restored. 
Springs  are  now  utilized  to  some  extent,  and  cisterns  have  taken  the 
place  of  wells  in  many  instances,  while  the  wings  of  the  windmill  are 
spread  on  many  farms  to  raise  water  for  the  buildings.  The  fact  will 
be  noticed  that  many  industries  have  been  carried  on  on  these  old 
Dover  farms.  In  some  cases  there  was  an  expenditure  on  buildings 
that  would  seem  ridiculous  to-day.  In  addition  to  the  dwelling- 
house  on  this  farm,  there  was  the  "old  barn,"  the  "new  barn"  and  the 
"horse  barn."  A  slaughter  house,  calf  and  sheep  pens,  sheds, — with 
the  trough  well  filled  with  rock  salt  for  the  cattle — pig-sty,  corn-bam, 
well-house,  wood-house,  smoke-house,  cob-house,  and  ice-house,  no 
less  than  fourteen  separate  buildings,  which  were  used  in  carrying 
on  the  industries.  Here  Dr.  Porter  is  now  making  certified  milk 
from  registered  stock  and  manufacturing  in  the  "Harvard  Surgical 
Laboratory"  surgical  instruments  that  are  ordered  from  all  over  the 
world. — Timothy  Guy,  Draper  Smith,  Albert  L.  Smith,  Frank  Smith, 
Joseph  Smith. 

John  S.  Lee's  farm  was  settled  by  JOHN  PLIMPTON,  who 
erected  the  buildings  thereon  soon  after  the  year  1800.  A  part  of 
this  farm  was  under  cultivation  when  purchased  by  Mr.  Plimpton, 
and  originally  belonged,  like  the  Smith  farm,  to  the  Plimpton  estate 
of  Medfield.  A  cider-mill*  was  located  here,  which  was  in  operation 
long  after  many  others  had  been  closed.  On  this  farm,  while  owned 
by  Henry  Goulding,  was  kept  up  the  old  custom  of  having  a  husking 
party,  during  the  harvest  moon.      These  husking  bees  were  largely 

♦For  the  location  of  cider-mills  see  Proceedings  125th  Anniversary  of  the 
Incorporation  of  Dover,"  page  58. 

38 


DOVER    FARMS 

attended  by  persons  from  this  and  surrounding  towns.  The  supper 
was  a  leading  feature,  and  the  tables  were  heaped  with  the  viands 
of  primitive  New  England  served  in  a  style  which  testified  to  the 
skill  of  the  hostess  as  a  cook.  Before  1858  all  sewing  in  Dover 
homes  was  done  by  hand.  Mrs.  Goulding  had  the  first  sewing 
machine  in  town,  a  Ladd  &  Webster;  it  was  a  great  curiosity,  and 
many  people  came  to  see  it  run.  Mrs.  Goulding  had  a  large  family 
of  children  and  the  machine  was  of  great  service  to  her.  Soon  her 
daughters  learned  to  run  it,  and  did  not  only  the  family  sewing  but 
plain  sewing  for  the  neighbors  as  well.  In  her  girlhood  days  Mrs. 
Goulding  learned  the  trade  of  the  tailor  and  greatly  appreciated  this 
labor-saving  invention,  which  in  a  few  years  came  into  general  use. 
She  also  had,  about  1865,  one  of  the  three  first  wringing  machines 
brought  into  town.  This  machine  was  so  well  made  that  it  is  still 
in  weekly  use  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  a  half  century. — Freeman  A. 
Parmenter. 

^         ^         if 

BRIDGE  STREET,  although  short  in  distance,  extending  from 
Farm  street  to  the  centre  of  Farm  bridge,  is  nevertheless  an 
exceedingly  pretty  street,  gradually  descending  to  the  level  of  the 
surrounding  meadows  and  winding  beneath  the  shade  of  stately  elms. 
In  1658  Daniel  Morse  "was  granted  as  much  timber  near  Charles 
river  as  might  be  fit  to  build  a  bridge,  over  the  said  river,  over 
against  his  farm  near  Natick."  This  was  the  grant  of  timber  for 
Farm  bridge,  which  was  probably  built  soon  after,  as  Daniel  Morse, 
who  settled  the  Sherborn  farm,  in  1656,  continued  to  attend  church 
in  Medfield  for  many  years.  Other  settlements  were  made  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  a  half  century  later.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Higginson, 
in  a  letter  written  in  1629,  thus  describes  the  land  around  Charles 
river:  "The  land  at  Charles  River  is  as  fat  blacke  earth  as  can  be 
seen  anywhere,  though  all  the  country  bee,  as  it  were,  a  thick  wood 
for  the  generall.  The  fertilitee  of  the  soyle  is  to  be  admired  at,  as 
appeareth  in  the  abundance  of  grasse  that  groweth  everie  where,  both 
verie,  verie  thicke,  long  and  high.  But  it  groweth  wildly  with  a  great 
stalke  and  broad  rankee  blade. 

"In  the  setting  of  13  gallons  of  corne,  a  man  hath  had  increase  of 

39 


DOVER    FARMS 

it  52  hogsheads,  everie  hogshead  holding  seven  bushels  of  London 
measure  and  hee  made  about  327  pounds  of  it  the  yeere  following. 
The  come  is  of  varietee  of  colours,  as  red,  blew,  and  yellow.  Little 
children  here  by  setting  of  corne  may  earne  much  more  than  their 
own  maintenance." 

JOSIAH  FISHER  settled  the  Bridge  street  farm  nearly  two  cen- 
turies ago — 1716.  The  present  house  was  built  in  1807,  and  used 
to  have,  under  the  broad,  spreading  elm,  which  stands  in  front  of  it, 
a  horse-block,  which  was  used  in  the  early  time  in  mounting  and  dis- 
mounting from  the  saddle  or  pillion.  Like  all  early  houses,  this 
faces  as  near  south  as  the  rude  science  of  the  builder  could  place  it, 
and  so  the  "noon  mark"  was  as  accurate  in  measuring  time  as  a 
chronometer,  and  for  generations  was  daily  consulted  when  the  sun 
shone.  The  brook  which  runs  through  this  farm,  and  empties  into 
Charles  river,  was  early  called  Fisher's  brook,  but  the  name  had  long 
been  forgotten  and  had  never  appeared  on  a  town  map  previous  to 
the  publication  of  the  Biographical  Sketches  of  Dover  Soldiers,  in 
1909.  Here  was  tried,  more  than  a  century  ago,  the  experiment  on 
an  apple  tree  of  inverting  the  bud  or  scion,  the  result  being  a  "no- 
core  apple."  Fine  old  pastures  were  once  common  on  these  farms, 
which,  when  cleared  and  enclosed,  were  used  for  the  fattening  of 
beef  cattle,  which  found  a  ready  market,  among  local  butchers,  or  at 
the  Brighton  market.  As  late  as  1865  forty-two  thousand  seven 
hundred  pounds  of  beef  was  produced  here.  Previous  to  this  time 
the  fattening  of  cattle  was  very  general,  followed  about  1850  with  a 
larger  product  of  butter  and  cheese;  this  period  was  succeeded  by 
the  fattening  of  calves,  which  were  slaughtered  and  sold  in  the 
Boston  market.  This  business  gave  place  about  1865  to  the  pro- 
duction of  milk,  which  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  On  these 
old  farms  were  salting  places,  still  to  be  seen,  licked  smooth  in  the 
solid  rocks;  where  the  farmer,  salt  in  hand,  went  out  on  Sunday 
morning  to  inspect  and  salt  his  stock.  Some  farmers  owned  pastures 
in  distant  towns,  where  they  turned  cows  and  growing  stock  to  be 
taken  in  for  beeves  in  the  early  fall.  The  custom  prevailed  of  turn- 
ing the  stock  to  pasture  on  May  10th,  without  regard  to  the  season. 

40 


t)OV:eR    FARMS 

It  sometimes  happened,  however,  at  this  date  that  the  snow  banks 
still  lingered  against  the  stone-walls.  In  the  early  time  one  cow  in 
every  herd  wore  a  bell,  the  tinkling  of  which  enabled  the  farmer  to 
locate  his  herd;  unruly  cows  wore  a  poke,  which  prevented  them 
from  breaking  down  fences.  Animals  have  been  greatly  changed 
and  improved  by  breeding.  In  1710  Doctor  Davenant,  a  writer  on 
political  economy,  estimated  that  the  average  weight  of  dressed  cattle 
did  not  exceed  370  pounds.  In  1846  McCullock  stated  that  at 
present  the  average  weight  of  cattle  is  estimated  at  or  about  800 
pounds. — Fisher  Allen,  Noah  A.  Fiske,  Alonzo  Wentworth. 

•!•       •{•       •!• 

MAIN  STREET  extends  north  from  Springdale  avenue  to 
Dover  street.  It  was  in  the  early  time  a  continuation  of 
Farm  street  to  Pleasant  street.  Over  a  part  of  this  road  vehicles 
have  rolled  for  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  years.  Before  1812, 
two-wheeled  carriages,  chaises  and  chairs  were  wholly  used,  and  pre- 
vious to  the  Revolution,  the  inventory  of  many  estates  contained 
only  "the  bridle,  saddle  and  pillion."  In  the  evolution  of  things  the 
saddle,  pillion  and  chaise  gave  way  to  the  "carryall,"  which  as  its 
name  indicates,  was  used  for  the  accommodation  of  the  whole  family, 
especially  on  Sunday,  when  a  succession  of  carryalls  rolled  up  to 
the  meeting-house  door,  which  not  only  filled  the  pews  with  wor- 
shipers, but  the  long  rows  of  sheds  with  horses  and  carriages.  On 
pleasant  Sundays  many  teams,  failing  to  find  shed  accommodation, 
were  hitched  to  trees.  The  early  Dover  farmers,  being  much  on  the 
road  in  carting  wood  and  timber  to  Boston,  became  early  patrons  of 
the  playhouses  which  sprung  up  in  Boston,  after  the  Revolution. 
It  is  said  that  there  was  no  serious  attempt  to  have  a  play  in  Boston 
previous  to  1750,  as  there  was  a  strong  feeling  against  having  plays 
performed.  The  British  introduced  plays  in  Boston  and  presented 
a  play  in  Faneuil  hall  entitled  "The  Blockade  in  Boston  in  January, 
1776."  A  burlesque  was  played  on  this  when  the  Yankees  again 
got  control  of  the  city.  In  1794  the  Federal  Street  Theatre  was 
built,  which  was  afterwards  called  the  Boston  Theatre,  and  from 
that  time  on  the  theatre  has  been  a  favorite  resort  for  recreation. 
From  the  crowded  condition  of  affairs  farmers  often  got  into  trouble 

41 


DOVER    FARMS 

around  the  hay  and  wcx)d  stands,  and  the  Mayor  sometimes  came 
round  to  straighten  matters  out.  On  one  occasion  a  Dover  farmer 
accosted  the  Mayor  with  "who  are  you  that  feels  so  big,  talks  so 
loud  and  shows  so  much  authority,"  for  which  he  was  brought  into 
court.  Main  street,  at  the  base  of  Pegan  hill,  has  several  of  the 
most  beautiful  farms  in  town.  The  head  of  this  street  was  called 
for  many  years  "Battle  row,"  in  honor  of  the  numerous  descendents 
of  John  Battle*  who  lived  here. 

JOHN  CHENEY  owned  the  farm,  now  occupied  by  the  heirs  of 
Wm.  H.  Skimmings,  previous  to  1748.  Mr.  Cheney  sold  this  estate 
in  1762  to  Jesse  Knapp  and  moved  to  Warwick,  Mass.  Mr  Knapp 
was  a  blacksmith  and  followed  his  trade  here.  In  the  years  before 
the  day  of  the  telephone  and  the  automobile  those  who  lived  on 
these  old  farms  developed  great  power  of  disease  resistance;  they 
"were  strong  and  healthy  and  independent."  Before  1790  the 
people  did  not  have  the  doctor  habit,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note 
how  few  doctors*  bills  appear  in  adminstrators'  accounts.  Large 
families  of  children  were  carried  through  epidemics  of  scarlet  fever, 
measles  and  other  skin  diseases  without  calling  a  doctor.  The 
prevailing  disease  of  which  people  died  was  "family  consumption," 
which  was  not  inherited  but  caught  from  the  germs  in  cracks  and 
walls  which  remained  through  the  years  to  infect  the  occupants. 
For  a  few  years  previous  to  1906  the  Skimmings  family  had  a  little 
grocery  store  here. — Ebenezer  Wilkinson,  Jared  Allen. 

JAMES  H.  WIGHT  built  in  1846  the  house  now  owned  by  Miss 
Mary  Grace.  Here  Linus  Bliss,  merchant  and  cigar  manufacturer, 
lived.  There  existed  in  New  England  for  many  years  a  class  of 
traders  known  as  "wholesale  peddlers,"  who  travelled  over  the 
country  with  large  stock  wagons.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War,  commerical  travellers,  or  drummers,  appeared,  who  in  time 
drove  this  practice  entirely  off  the  road.  Linus  Bliss  supported 
one  of  these  teams,  which  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  cigar  busi- 

♦This  name  was  spelled  both  "Battle,"  "Battell"  and  "Battelle,"  by  th« 
first  settlers.      The  present  family  spelling  Is  here  given. 

42 


DOVER    FARMS 

ness.  He  had  a  fine  wagon,  neatly  painted  and  shining  with 
varnish,  which  was  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses  over  the  surrounding 
country,  but  which  is  not  now  remembered  by  those  under  middle 
age. — Charles  H.  Smith. 

James  H.  Wight's  carpenter's  shop,  which  faced  on  Springdale 
avenue,  was  re-modeled  into  a  store  and  dwelling  house  about 
1850  for  A.  L.  DERBY.  It  was  later  owned  by  Micajah  S.  Plum- 
mer,  who  continued  the  grocery  business  previously  established. 
Later  George  E.  Bliss  manufactured  cigars  here. 

William  Bigelow  built  a  boot  shop,  which  was  converted  in- 
to a  double  dwelling  house  and  occupied  for  many  years  by 
Eleazer  Newell  and  HARRY  ORCUTT,  the  village  blacksmith. 
This  tenement  was  later  burned,  with  other  buildings  in  the  vicinity. 
Here  was  carried  on  the  manufacture  of  calf  and  kip  boots  by 
Lawrence  Derby,  Martin  Derby  and  John  Q.  A.  Nichols,  who  were 
in  company.  In  this  shop  shoes  were  made  in  the  crude  hand  way; 
with  awl,  bristle,  thread,  lapstone  and  hammer,  as  they  had  been 
from  time  immemorial.  Machinery  has  made  the  manufacture  of 
shoes  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  industries  of  the  United 
States.  A  single  shoe  now  passes  through  over  a  hundred  and  six 
different  hands  and  sixty  machines  in  the  process  of  manufacture. 

Linus  Bliss  purchased  the  property  now  included  in  Springdale 
park  and  moved  his  cigar  shop  to  this  area.  He  soon  raised  the 
blacksmith's  shop,  which  had  been  converted  into  a  house  for 
WILLIAM  BIGELOW,  and  put  a  store  beneath,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  successful  grocery  and  dry  goods  business  for  many  years. 
In  the  course  of  time,  however,  all  the  buildings  located  on  the  area 
of  Springdale  park  were  destroyed  by  fire.  It  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  the  two  centers  most  thickly  settled,  and  having  the  largest  busi- 
ness interest   in  the  town,    (Bliss'   corner,   and  the  manufacturing 

Note. — Springdale  park  comprises  a  triangle  on  which  was  located  the 
early  blacksmith's  shop  of  Jesse  Knapp,  Silas  Bacon,  Ebenezer  Wilkinson 
and  Calvin  Bigelow;  here  were  also  located  several  shops,  stores  and 
houses. 

43 


DOVfiR    FARMS 

plants  at  Charles  River*),  have  both  entirely  disappeared.  The 
Bacon  Brothers,  (Albert  and  Edward  Bacon)  were  the  last  to  occupy 
this  store. 

The  Rev.  Allen  E.  Battelle's  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  the 
estate  of  Josiah  Battelle  and  was  owned  by  his  father,  SHERMAN 
BATTELLE,  who  built  the  house  here  in  1817.  Several  of  the 
farms  at  the  foot  of  Pegan  hill  were  deeded  by  the  Indians.  The 
Battelle  pasture  on  Pegan  hill  was  deeded  to  John  Battelle  by 
Eunice  Spywood  as  late  as  1763.  The  Rev.  Allen  E.  Battelle  was 
deeply  interested  in  Dover  and  took  a  just  pride  in  his  residence. 
In  the  adjoining  grove,  social  gatherings  in  connection  with  the 
Springdale  Baptist  Church  were  sometimes  held. 

Miss  Marietta  Bailey's  house  was  built  by  her  grandfather,  Sher- 
man Battelle,  in  1849,  for  his  son-in-law  the  REV.  TIMOTHY 
BAILEY.  The  place  is  of  interest,  as  a  part  of  the  original  John 
Battle  settlement  of  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago. 

Daniel  Mann  2nd  occupied  a  house,  a  part  of  which  once  stood 
where  Miss  Bailey's  house  now  stands.  It  belonged  to  Miss  Zellah 
Allen,  a  granddaughter  of  Hezekiah  Allen  of  Pegan  hill.  Miss  Allen 
never  forgot  a  favor,  and  it  is  still  remembered  of  her  that  no  one 
ever  gave  her  anything  without  getting  something  of  value  in  return. 
Miss  Allen  believed  in  fresh  air  quite  in  contrast  with  the  prevailing 
custom,  when,  even  in  the  hottest  summer  weather,  people  slept  with 
closed  windows,  as  it  was  thought  dangerous  to  breathe  "night  air." 
Miss  Allen  would  not  allow  any  plastering  in  her  little  house,  as  she 
did  not  want  to  keep  the  fresh  air  out.  LEONARD  GAY  bought  this 
house  in  1840,  and  moved  it  to  its  present  location.  With  additions 
he  converted  it  into  a  comfortable  dwelling  house,  where  he  lived  for 
many  years. 

JOHN  Q.  A.  NICHOLS  built  the  house  now  owned  by  Frank  H. 
Winchenbach  in  1856.      Here  Mr.  Nichols  made  boots  for  a  time. 


•Formerly  called  Dover  Mills. 

44 


DOVER    FARMS 

He  later  moved  to  Elmira,  New  York,  where  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  A.  L.  Derby,  formerly  of  Dover,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  boots.— Henry  J.  Winchenbach. 

Charles  S.  Damrell's  estate,  which  he  has  named  "Peganhurst," 
was  originally  the  farm  of  JOSIAH  BATTELLE,  JR.,  who  built  the 
house  in  1812.  The  ell  of  this  house  is  said  to  have  been  the  original 
John  Battelle  house,  which  was  built  in  1678.  Josiah  Battelle,  Jr., 
moved  it  from  his  father's  place  (Farrington  farm),  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road,  and  made  it  a  part  of  his  house.  The  country  dances 
held  in  this  old  kitchen  are  still  talked  about.  Mr.  Battelle  was  a 
whip-maker  and  his  little  shop  is  still  found  in  the  group  of  buildings. 
This  land  belonged  originally  to  John  Battelle's  estate,  and  for  beauty 
of  location  is  unsurpassed  in  eastern  Massachusetts. — Henry  Horton. 

John  S.  Damrell  lived  in  a  house  which  was  built  by  ALPHEUS 
H.  ELLIS  in  1850,  for  his  mother  and  stepfather,  Josiah  Battelle. 
Mr.  Battelle  was,  for  many  years,  a  manufacturer  of  whips  and  took 
apprentices  into  his  family,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  day,  whom  he 
taught  his  trade  in  return  for  their  services.  At  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  gave  each  apprentice  a  hundred  dollars  and  a  freedom  suit  of 
clothes.  The  apprentice  system,  in  vogue  a  century  ago,  did  not  pre- 
vail here  to  any  extent,  as  there  were  so  few  who  had  trades  or 
engaged  in  a  large  way  in  any  kind  of  manufacturing. 

William  A.  McNamara  owns  the  Farrington  farm,  which  is  one  of 
the  oldest  farms  in  Dover.  It  originally  belonged  to  JOHN  BAT- 
TELLE, son  of  Thomas  Battelle,  the  emigrant,  who  was  an  early 
settler  on  the  Clay  Brook  road.  Mr.  Battelle  settled  here  in  1678,  and 
gave  this  farm  to  his  eldest  son,  John,  in  1710.  In  his  will  it  is 
spoken  of  as  "near  the  place  called  Natick — on  the  west  side  of  the 
Great  brook,  with  the  house  and  buildings."  The  old  house  on  this 
farm,  a  good  specimen  of  an  early  Colonial  house,  was  burned  in  1900, 
and  the  present  house  was  built  in  1910.  Astrology  had  a  strong  hold 
on  the  people  in  these  old  homes  until  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  as  shown  by  the  books  that  were  hawked  about  the  country 

45 


DOVER    FARMS 

by  book  peddlers,  which  claimed  to  treat  of  the  "Wisdom  of  the 
Ancients."  Farmers,  as  late  as  the  Centennial  year — 1876 — consulted 
the  "Man  of  the  Signs"  before  performing  farm  surgery  on  their 
domestic  animals.  Each  sign  of  the  zodiac  was  believed  to  "govern 
an  organ  or  part  of  the  body,  and  in  selecting  a  day  to  treat  any  ail- 
ment in  man  or  beast,  or  even  to  let  blood,  it  was  necessary  to  know 
whether  the  moon  was,  or  was  not,  in  that  sign."  Farmers  were  gov- 
erned by  the  moon  in  killing  their  winter  pork  or  beef,  that  "it  might 
increase  while  cooking;"  farmers  went  a-fishing  when  the  sign  was  in 
the  belly;  then  it  was  believed  fish  would  bite;  firewood  was  cut  by 
the  moon  to  prevent  snapping;  wheat  was  sown  in  the  right  quarter 
to  prevent  smutting,  and  bushes  were  cut  at  those  times  when  the  influ- 
ence of  the  moon  was  most  likely  to  kill  them.  Quack  doctors  rode 
over  the  country  selling  their  cure-alls;  the  last  of  these  was  Dr. 
Quinn,  who  went  from  house  to  house  selling  his  family  medicines  and 
for  some  years  visited  the  town  every  few  months. — John  Battelle, 
Josiah  Battelle,  Benjamin  Farrington. 

RUFUS  CAMPBELL  settled  in  Dover  more  than  half  a  century 
ago,  and  built  the  house  in  1849  owned  by  the  late  Asa  S.  Bean.  Here 
the  widow  of  John  M.  Brown,  who  died  in  the  army  at  Yorktown,  Va., 
in  1862,  resided  with  her  family  for  many  years.  The  custom  pre- 
vailed for  many  years  among  the  farmers  of  the  town  of  "deaconing" 
in  a  moderate  way  everything  that  was  put  up  for  the  market.  In 
packing  apples  the  best  fruit  was  put  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the 
barrel,  while  that  of  less  desirable  quality  found  a  place  in  the  middle 
of  the  barrel.  In  this  way  customers  found  the  fruit  of  desirable 
quality  whether  the  barrel  was  opened  at  the  top  or  bottom.  This 
practice,  we  believe,  has  entirely  disappeared. 

ALONZO  HOWE  lived  in  Dover  for  some  years,  and  followed  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter.  He  purchased,  in  1840,  twelve  acres  of  land  of 
Hiram  W.  Jones,  on  which  he  built  the  house  occupied  by  the  late 
Henry  R.  Stevens. — Stephen  Jones. 

SILAS  BACON'S  farm  is  marked  by  the  old  house  on  the  Stevens 

46 


DOVER    FARMS 

estate.  This  farm  was  settled  and  the  present  house  built  in  1787. 
Here  Aunt  Fanny  Bacon,  the  tailoress  of  the  town,  who  went  from 
house  to  house,  lived  in  her  humble  way,  and  did  a  fine  service.  On 
these  old  farms  in  the  spring  of  the  year  the  farmers  often  made  quan- 
tities of  fagots,  which  in  the  day  of  brick  ovens,  found  a  ready  sale 
in  Boston.  This  was  the  home  where  Francis  Bacon  lived  and  reared 
his  family. 

James  G.  Mann's  house  stands  on  the  site  of  Silas  Bacon's  black- 
smith shop.  A  century  ago  there  was  great  demand  for  the  services  of 
the  blacksmith,  and  twenty-one  shops  have  been  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  town.*  The  blacksmith  had  quite  as  many  oxen  to  shoe 
as  horses,  and  quite  as  much  of  the  fitting  of  iron  to  woodwork,  in 
building  wagons  and  making  farming  tools  as  anything  else.  In  the 
spring  the  point  had  to  be  sharpened  for  the  wooden  plow.  The  first 
house  on  this  place  was  built  by  WILLIAM  A.  HOWE,  and  was 
destroyed  by  fire  some  years  ago.  Here  Mr.  Howe  carried  on  the 
business  of  manufacturing  shoe  filling  for  many  years,  which  gave 
employment  to  quite  a  number  of  persons. 

MARTIN  BACON  built  in  1845  the  house  where  his  son,  the  late 
Silas  Bacon,  lived.  The  land  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Bacon 
homestead,  and  as  such  it  is  of  interest,  as  the  Bacon  family  was 
among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town.  W.  &  A.  Bacon,  the  old-time 
dry  goods  merchants  of  Roxbury,  are  direct  descendants  of  the  Dover 
family.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  Bacon  School  in  Roxbury 
was  named  for  this  family. 

•Blacksmith  shops  were  located  as  follows:  Obed  Hartshorn's  farm,  Farm 
street;  Aaron  Bacon  farm,  Farm  street;  William  King's  shop  (near  William 
Slavin's  house  lot),  Farm  street;  Rudman's  shop,  last  occupied  by  Wm. 
King,  Farm  street;  Henry  Goulding's  farm,  Smith  street;  Jesse  Knapp's, 
Springdale  park;  Silas  Bacon's,  Main  street;  Harry  Orcutt's,  Springdale 
avenue;  Dover  Shoeing  Forge,  Springdale  avenue;  Dunn  farm,  Springdale 
avenue;  Eliphalet  Chickering's,  Walpole  street;  Nathaniel  Chickering's, 
Walpole  street;  John  Breagy's,  Walpole  street;  Billings  Tisdale's,  County 
street;  Calvin  Richards',  Strawberry  hill  street;  Luther  Richards',  Straw- 
berry hill;  Elijah  Dewing's,  Dedham  street,  corner  Mill  street;  Calvin  Blg- 
elow's,  Dedham  street;  King  farm,  Powisset  street;  Blake's,  Willow  street; 
Hill's,  Willow  street,  south  of  Newell' s  bridge. 

47 


DOVER    FARMS 

James  McGill's  farm  was  the  RICHARD  BACON  place,  and  was 
first  settled  in  1756.  David  Cleveland  of  Natick  purchased  this  farm 
in  1773,  and  it  remained  for  many  years  in  the  Cleveland  family. 
Here  Mrs.  William  Cleveland  had  a  little  store,  which  was  started 
largely  in  the  interest  of  millinery  sales  and  work,  but  was  later  ex- 
tended to  a  variety  of  domestic  articles.  Daniel  Mann,  2nd,  pur- 
chased the  original  Bacon  house,  which  has  always  stood  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road,  in  1843,  and  remodeled  it  for  his  large  family. 
Through  recent  changes  in  the  erection  of  the  beautiful  residence  of 
J.  Grant  Forbes,  the  mansion  house  has  been  moved  by  Mr.  McGill  to 
the  east  side  of  the  road. — William  Cleveland,  George  Cleveland, 
Chas.  K.  Kirby,  Eugene  Bachelder. 

Michael  W.  Comiskey's  farm  was  the  JONATHAN  BATTELLE 
place.  This  was  originally  a  part  of  Thomas  Battelle's  estate,  and 
was  probably  settled  about  1690.  Here  Capt.  Ebenezer  Battelle  lived 
when  he  led  the  Springfield  Parish  Company  of  Minute  Men  at  the 
Lexington  Alarm,  and  later  engaged  with  his  company  in  fortifying 
Dorchester  Heights.  This  farm  was  purchased  in  1811  by  John 
Harding,  Capt.  Battelle's  son-in-law.  This  place  was  designed  by 
Miss  Ann  Harding  as  a  parsonage  for  the  First  Parish  Church,  and 
was  so  willed,  but  dying  suddenly,  she  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to 
sign,  with  witnesses,  the  instrument,  which  she  had  already  drawn, 
and  the  property  was  lost  to  the  parish.  When  the  present  house  was 
built  much  of  the  timber  from  the  original  house  was  used  in  its  con- 
struction, because  Mrs.  Harding  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  losing 
the  old  memories  and  associations. — Ebenezer  Battle,  Jr.,  Fred  Dud- 
ley, Theodore  F.  Jones. 

Elbridge  L.  Mann's  farm  was  at  first  a  part  of  the  Jonathan  Bat- 
telle estate  and  was  of  early  settlement  (1753).  The  farm  was  sold 
in  1761  by  EBENEZER  BATTELLE  to  Nathaniel  Battelle,  who  in 
1770  sold  it  to  his  son,  Nathaniel,  Jr.,  and  moved  to  Natick,  where 
he  occupied  the  place  now  known  as  the  Wiggin  estate,  near  the  Dover 
line.  Mr.  Mann's  farm  at  one  time  was  owned  by  John  Rice  and  was 
known  to  the  people  of  a  past  generation  as  the  "Rice  farm."     Here 

48 


5 

-Si 


Residence  of  the  late  Elbridg"  L.  Mann.     Farm  settled  7755 


DOVER    FARMS 

James  Mann,  Jr.,  and  his  brother,  Lorenzo  Mann,  established,  about 
1830,  a  butcher's  business.  They  had  carts  on  the  road,  which  sup- 
plied the  surrounding  country  with  beef.  It  was  a  good  thing  when 
the  last  slaughter-house  was  closed.  While  they  were  not  a  menace, 
in  the  country,  to  public  health  or  comfort,  yet  they  were  a  nuisance 
in  summer  time.  More  or  less  beef  packing  for  the  Boston  market 
was  carried  on  in  these  institutions.  The  recipes — never  committed  to 
writing — for  curing  hams  and  making  sausages,  as  used  by  Dover 
farmers,  were  unexcelled.  The  art,  however,  has  entirely  disappeared 
with  the  removal  of  the  old  families,  which  is  a  distinct  loss  to  the 
culinary  art. — James  Mann,  Jr. 

•!•       4.       4. 

PLEASANT  STREET  extends  from  Main  street  to  the  Natick 
line,  and  was  originally  a  part  of  the  road  leading  from  Med- 
field  to  Natick.  It  commands  a  magnificent  view  of  Wellesley  Col- 
lege and  the  surrounding  country  on  the  north,  with  here  and  there  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  "winding  Charles"  and  the  Baker  estate  on  the 
opposite  shore. 

OLIVE  RICKER,  wife  of  Benjamin  Ricker,  purchased  in  1864 
three-fourths  of  an  acre  of  land  of  Ellis  Mann  and  built  the  house 
thereon  owned  by  the  late  Frank  E.  Bacon.  The  question  may  be 
asked  how  the  owners  of  these  little  farms  gained  a  livelihood?  Mr. 
Bacon  worked  for  many  years  as  a  care-taker  at  South  Natick;  when, 
after  the  erection  of  the  Sanger  schoolhouse,  the  town  tried  the  experi- 
ment of  consolidating  schools,  he  transported  the  children  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town  to  the  Sanger  school. 

William  Gibbon's  little  farm  on  Pegan  hill,  just  off  of  Pleasant 
street,  was  purchased  in  1853  by  JAMES  GIBBON,  a  shoemaker  of 
Natick,  who  erected  the  buildings  thereon.  This  house  is  located  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  several  early  Indian  homes,  whose  cellars 
can  still  be  traced.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  Indian  songs,  music, 
art-crafts  or  dances  have  been  preserved  to  us  from  our  native  Indians. 
Western  Indians  "to-day  are  bringing  gifts  of  their  own  to  the  civiliza- 
tion that  absorbs  them."     It  is  found  that  they  have  songs  for  nearly 

49 


DOVER    FARMS 

every  act  of  life.  Although  a  resident  of  Dover,  Mr.  Gibbon  affiliated 
entirely  with  Natick,  thus  reversing  the  practice  of  a  century  ago, 
when  the  farmers  across  the  line  in  Natick  were  annexed  to  Dover  for 
parochial  purposes. 

R.  K.  Rogers'  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  Elbridge  L.  Mann's 
place.  WILDER  RICE  purchased  the  land  and  built  the  house  in 
1818.  With  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  Hiram  Adams,  Jr., 
son  of  the  owner,  was  one  of  the  first  to  go  to  the  gold  fields.*  We 
recall  how  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  War  everything  had  value. 
There  was  much  thieving  around  town,  and  clothes  left  on  the  line 
at  night  were  quite  likely  to  disappear,  line  and  all,  before  morning. 
The  First  Parish  Meeting-house  was  entered  and  the  carpets  taken  up. 
This  struck  dismay  to  the  heart  of  the  members  of  the  Ladies'  Bentvo- 
dent  Society,  but  friends  came  to  their  aid  and  carpets  were  soon  laid 
again  by  the  ladies  of  the  society. — Samuel  H.  Jenkins,  Frank  Hawes. 

Warren  Richardson  bought  his  place  of  EVERETT  COLBURN 
in  1881.  The  buildings  were  then  unfinished,  but  were  com- 
pleted by  Mr.  Richardson  the  year  of  his  purchase.  However  small 
these  little  places  may  be,  they  all  spell  the  sacred  name  of  home. 
Around  it  have  gathered  happy  memories  and  sacred  associations. 

4-       4*       4- 

CENTRE  STREET  extends  from  Fisher  bridge  on  the  north  to 
Medfield  line  on  the  south.  As  first  laid  out,  this  street  did  not 
follow  altogether  the  present  lines.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  early 
settlers  to  have  a  direct  road  to  Medfield  from  Dover  centre,  as  shown 
by  a  grant  of  land  to  Joseph  Chickering,  in  1750,  which  was  bounded 
"west  on  land  left  for  a  way  leading  from  Dea.  Joshua  Ellis'  to  Med- 
field (Capt.  Wotton  place)."  It  was  over  this  road,  on  the  morning 
of  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  that  the  hurrying  messenger,  galloping  into 
town  from  Needham,  informed  the  inhabitants  of  the  movement  of  the 
British  and  then  turned  and  rode  into  Dedham  through  what  is  now 
Westwood.     The  cry  was  taken  up,  and  the  farmers  hastily  gathered 

•For  a  list  of  Dover  residents  who  went  to  California,  see  Biographical 
Sketch  of  Otis  Chickering  in  Dover  Public  Library. 

50 


ii 

fB~':' 

^ 

'^^^P^t^^^^^^^l^^^^H^^^^^^^^^I 

M             ^ti^ '  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 

^ 


Pine  Grove  on  Centre  Street 


DOVER    FARMS 

on  the  village  green,  and  in  a  short  time  were  in  readiness  to  march 
toward  Lexington. 

Robert  M.  Tappan's  "Clay  Brook  farm"  is  one  of  the  old  Dover 
estates.  JONATHAN  WHITING  purchased  the  land  of  Elizabeth 
Fisher,  widow  of  John  Fisher  of  Needham,  in  1755.  Mr.  Fisher  lived 
on  the  north  side  of  Charles  river  and  owned  an  extensive  territory  in 
the  Springfield  Parish.  Mr.  Whiting  cleared  the  fields,  erected  the 
first  buildings  and  developed  the  farm.  A  cider-press  was  located 
here  in  the  early  time  which  served  the  surrounding  country.  Lovers 
of  the  good  old  New  England  days  may  rejoice  that  one  relic  of  the 
fine  and  simple  flavor  of  other  times  still  exists  in  the  cattle  show  and 
agricultural  fair,  which,  annually  given  in  several  counties  of  the 
state,  furnishes  a  pleasant  social  stimulus  to  rural  life.  Being  an 
agricultural  community,  Dover  was  prominent  in  the  organization  of 
the  Norfolk  Agricultural  Society.  Elijah  Perry,  who  settled  on  this 
farm  in  1840,  but  later  became  a  resident  of  Middlesex  County,  was 
interested  in  the  project  and  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  to  take 
that  action  which  led  to  the  incorporation  of  the  Norfolk  Society  in 
1849,  of  which  he  was  a  leading  officer.  The  interest  in  the  society 
was  actively  kept  up  by  Calvin  Richards,  Hiram  W.  Jones,  Henry 
Goulding,  Benjamin  N.  Sawin,  Abner  L.  Smith,  John  Battelle,  Wil- 
liam Tisdale,  Timothy  Allen,  Capt.  Walter  Stowe,  Daniel  Mann, 
Joisah  Newell,  William  Cleveland  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ralph  Sanger. 
To  the  cattle  show  the  farmer  brought  his  best  cattle,  sheep  and  swine, 
which  were  confined  in  long  rows  of  pens.  Here  he  competed  in  the 
plowing  match  and  in  the  hauling  match  with  his  best  matched  oxen. 
Agricultural  warehouses  had  on  exhibition  a  great  variey  of  farm 
implements  which  were  examined  by  the  farmer  with  great  care  and 
interest.  Here  was  seen  the  first  mowing  machine,  the  Heath  mower, 
which  proved  to  be  worthless,  but  was  soon  followed  by  the  Ketchum 
mower,  the  Buckeye  mower,  and  the  Union  mower,  all  of  which  were 
good  machines.  Here  was  exhibited  the  first  tedder,  the  first  spring- 
toothed  horse  rake,  the  first  horse  pitchfork,  the  latest  improved  plows, 
cultivators  and  horse-hoes,  threshing-machines,  washing-machines, 
wringing  machines,  bed  springs,  apple  parcrs,  and  numerous  liouse- 

51 ' 


DOVER    FARMS 

hold  utensils.  Nearly  all  the  implements  that  have  lightened  farm 
labor  have  been  invented  since  the  organization  of  the  Norfolk  Agricul- 
tural Society.  In  the  Horticultural  hall  were  exhibited  the  choicest 
apples,  pears,  peaches  and  grapes  of  the  county,  together  with  a  huge 
collection  of  big  vegetables.  The  gardener  put  on  exhibition  his 
choicest  flowers  in  great  abundance  and  variety.  The  housewife 
brought  her  butter,  cheese,  bread,  cake  and  preserves,  with  a  liberal 
display  of  needlework  in  a  variety  of  quilts  and  other  useful  articles. 
After  about  1860  much  attention  was  given  to  horse  racing,  and 
farmers  were  complaining  "that  at  all  the  gatherings  the  supreme 
interest,  which  ought  to  be  bestowed  upon  the  merits  of  cows,  sheep, 
pigs  and  chickens,  was  being  diverted  to  the  horse  race  and  to  the  side 
show."  From  this  time  the  county  agricultural  show  commenced  to 
decline.  No  part  of  the  programme  was  enjoyed  more  than  the  Agri- 
cultural Fair  dinner,  which  was  largely  attended  in  the  building  of 
the  society.  The  after-dinner  speaking  was  a  feature.  The  Vice- 
President,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sanger,  often  presided  to  the  great  enjoyment 
of  the  company,  and  some  of  his  witty  remarks  are  recalled  to  this 
day.-^Dea.  Jonathan  Battelle,  J.  D.  Sturtevant,  Eiljah  Perry. 

The  Chapel  of  the  Needham  and  Dover  Baptist  Church  once  stood 
nearly  opposite  the  last  described  farm,  near  several  beautiful  oak 
trees.  After  the  organization  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Needham  the 
chapel*  was  moved  to  Springdale  avenue,  and  incorporated  as  the 
Dover  Baptist  Church.  This  little  church  had  its  part  in  the  great 
work  of  separating  "the  church  and  state,"  which  was  primarily  a 
Baptist  idea.  We  find  members  of  this  faith  protesting  against  being 
taxed  for  the  support  of  the  First  Parish  Church  as  early  as  1774. 
To-day  we  all  prize  the  religious  liberty  which  the  Baptists  stood  for 
and  helped  to  bring  about.  Each  church  has  had  some  special  work 
to  do  in  the  development  of  the  town,  and  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
higher  civilization  of  the  community,  and  we  are  glad  to  record  the 
honor  which  is  due  this  extinct  church. 

Charles  W.  Plympton's  place  was  originally  the  JOHN  FISHER 

♦Sold  to  the  town  in  1911  for  a  Are  engine  liouse. 

52 


faOVER    FARMS 

farm,  and  was  settled  in  1767.  The  beautiful  grove  of  pines  on  this 
farm  was  grown  from  seeds  sown  by  W.  Mason  Richards,  and  is  a  place 
which  challenges  the  attention  of  all  passers-by.  This  was  the  first 
attempt  in  town  at  forestry,  which,  when  rightly  understood,  is  not 
the  planting  of  trees  for  ornament  or  shade,  but  is  the  science  of  raising 
crops*  of  trees  for  profit  on  land  which  is  too  sandy,  or  rocky,  or  hilly 
for  cultivation.  The  pine  is  one  of  the  best  trees  for  this  purpose,  as  it 
attains  a  merchantable  size  in  less  time,  in  this  vicinity,  than  other 
desirable  woods.  The  pine,  by  its  growth,  is  said  to  earn  an  average 
net  income  of  three  per  cent. — George  Otis,  W.  Mason  Richards,, 
Harvey  Ambler. 

ERNEST  F.  HODGSON  built  for  his  own  occupancy  the  house 
on  the  right  in  1913.  This  house  has  the  air  and  light  needful  for 
hygienic  conditions  in  family  life.  Mr.  Hodgson  is  the  proprietor  of 
the  Wigwam  Portable  House,  which  is  manufactured  in  Dover.  The 
late  Dr.  Edward  Everett  Hale  was  much  interested  in  Mr.  Hodgson's 
unique  houses,  which  solve  for  so  many  families  the  important  ques- 
tion of  a  summer  outing.  Dr.  Hale  liked  to  inspect  the  houses,  and 
playfully  selected  one  that  he  would  have  bought  had  he  been  a 
younger  man. 

THOMAS  HODGSON  built  in  1897  the  parsonage  of  the  First 
Parish  Church  on  land  purchased  of  the  heirs  of  Betsey  S.  Howe. 
This  land  originally  belonged  to  Eleazer  Ellis,  a  pioneer  settler  in  the 
center  of  the  town.  In  the  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  years  of  its 
existence  this  is  the  first  parsonage  that  the  First  Parish  has  owned. 
Mr.  Caryl  and  Dr.  Sanger  owned  their  own  homes. 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  who  converted  a  shoe  shop  into  a  dwelling 
house  for  his  son-in-law,  Isaac  Howe,  built  the  first  house  on  the  farm 
of  the  late  Frederick  H.  Wight  in  1829.  The  beautiful  elms  in  front 
of  the  present  house  were  planted  by  Mr.  Williams.     From  the  first, 

*It  Is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  world  is  now  planting  a  million  acres  to 
forests  each  year.  In  the  United  States  the  Rev.  Morrell  Allen,  a  native  of 
Dover,  who  was  settled  over  the  First  Parish  Church  in  Pembroke,  Mass.,  In 
1801,  was  a  pioneer  in  the  planting  of  forest  trees  on  soil  that  was  poorly 
adapted  to  other  crops. 

53 


Dover  farm^ 

older  residents  appreciated  the  founding  of  the  Dedham  Institution  for 
Savings  and  the  putting  to  interest  of  the  pennies  and  the  dimes  and 
the  dollars  has  often  resulted  in  a  great  blessing  in  times  of  need. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  almost  every  family  in  town  had  a  savings  bank 
account.  With  the  birth  of  a  child  an  account  was  opened  to  its  credit. 
Accounts  established  by  fond  grandparents,  to  the  amount  of  a  hun- 
dred dollars,  have  often  accumulated  enough  to  add  a  thousand  dollars 
to  the  estate  of  the  persons  for  whom  the  account  was  originally 
opened.  The  lack  of  a  savings  bank  account  was  everywhere  accepted 
as  an  evidence  of  thriftlessness.  Boys  and  girls  often  deposited  their 
first  earned  money  in  a  savings  bank  and  so  established  the  habit  of 
thrift.  Mr.  Williams  was  one  of  the  first  to  use  and  appreciate  the 
savings-bank. — Francis  Swan,  Rev.  George  Proctor. 

Allen  F.  Smith's  place  was  originally  a  part  of  the  farm  of  Eliphalel 
Chickering,  who  probably  settled  here  as  early  as  1730,  and  perhaps 
at  an  earlier  date.  Mr.  Chickering  sold  this  part  of  his  farm  in  1758, 
and  it  was  later  added  to  the  Daniel  Whiting  estate.  JOHN  REED 
built  a  house  here  in  1783,  and  is  recorded  as  an  inn-holder  the 
same  year.  John  Williams  bought  the  property  in  1800,  and  new 
buildings  were  later  erected  on  the  present  site.  Here  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Ralph  Sanger  settled  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  and  the  parsonage 
became,  for  nearly  half  a  century  (until  it  was  burned  in  1857),  the 
center  of  everything  calculated  to  advance  the  best  interests  of  the 
town  and  community. 

The  present  house  on  this  estate  was  built  by  the  late  Mrs.  Phebe 
A.  Chickering  in  1877.  John  Williams  having  bought  this  place  in 
the  year  1800,  it  is  a  convenient  date  at  which  to  consider  rural  con- 
ditions. At  that  time  the  hoe,  the  scythe,  the  cradle,  the  hand  cards, 
the  spinning  wheel  and  the  loom  were  in  use,  as  they  had  been  for 
thousands  of  years  before.  Flocks  of  sheep  grazed  in  the  pastures 
and  flax  was  grown  in  the  fields.  The  food  and  clothing  of  the  family 
were  all  produced  on  the  farm.  The  wooden  plow*  was  still  used, 
and  it  was  yet  many  years  before  the  mowing  machine  and  horse  rake 

♦A  good  specimen  of  a  wooden  plow  can  be  seen  in  the  collection  of  the 
Dover  Historical   Society. 

54 


Residence  of  Mr.  George  H.   Thompson 


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DOVER    FARMS 

were  invented.  Commerce  and  travel  were  confined  to  the  natural 
waterways  and  to  slow  and  costly  movements  along  poor  roads.  About 
this  time  there  was  great  interest  in  turnpikes,  and  the  Hartford  Turn- 
pike was  built  across  the  south  part  of  the  town.  As  late  as  1810  the 
people  were  clad  in  homespun.  In  a  "Report  on  American  Manufac- 
tures," made  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  Congress  in  1810,  he 
expressed  the  opinion  that  about  two-thirds  of  all  the  clothing,  includ- 
ing hosiery,  and  of  house  and  table  linen,  worn  and  used  by  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  United  States,  who  do  not  reside  in  cities,*  is  the  product 
of  family  manufactures.  In  this  connection  we  might  refer  to  the 
universal  habit  of  borrowing,  when  it  was  so  easy  for  the  housewife 
to  get  out  of  meal,  soap  or  butter,  and  the  husbandman  to  want  nails 
or  a  hammer.  With  the  introduction  of  farm  tools  the  thrifty  farmer 
was  often  importuned  by  his  less  thrifty  neighbor  for  the  use  of 
farm  implements,  but  many  a  would-be  borrower  learned,  with  Poor 
Richard,  that  "he  who  goes  a  borrowing  goes  a  sorrowing." 

John  Williams  was  the  proprietor  of  the  store  on  Dedham  street, 
and  did  a  limited  business  in  supplying  the  few  articles  which  could 
not  be  had  at  home.  Money  at  this  time  was  but  little  used  in  the 
ordinary  affairs  of  life.  The  most  profitable  trade  of  all  country 
stores  was  in  spirits,  and  all — ministers,  doctors,  farmers  and  esquires 
— made  use  of  it  in  about  the  same  degree.  "They  habitually  ate 
salted  meat,  and  habitually  quenched  the  resulting  thirst  with  rum." 

The  area  on  Centre  street  bounded  south  by  Springdale  avenue, 
and  now  occupied  by  the  Sanger  school-house  and  the  town  horse 
sheds,  was  once  the  site  of  three  houses.  Rufus  Smith,  at  one  time 
made  shoes  here,  having  moved  to  the  spot  a  shop  from  the  farm  of 
Luther  Richards  on  Strawberry  hill.  In  1843  WILLIAM  FAULK, 
a  shoemaker  from  London,  England,  bought  this  place.  Mr.  Faulk 
was  a  fine  workman,  and  had  the  patronage  of  many  of  the  best 
families  in  this  and  surrounding  towns.  He  added  to  his  shop  from 
time  to  time,  and  it  became  not  only  his  workshop  but  his  house  as 
well. 

•The  city  population  of  the  nation  in  1800  was  3  per  cent,  of  the  whole. 

55 


DOVER    FARMS 

Mr.  Faulk  sold  land  to  MRS.  FISHER  AYERS,  on  which  she 
remodeled  the  building  erected  by  James  H.  Wight  for  housing 
shingles  and  clapboards  kept  in  connection  with  his  lumber  yard, 
which  was  located  on  the  town  Common.  This  house  stood  near  the 
present  site  of  the  Sanger  shool-house  and  was  later  moved  to  Dedham 
street,  and  occupied  a  site  some  distance  east  of  the  late  J.  W.  Higgins' 
house,  where  it  was  burned  in  1902. 

WILLIAM  FAULK  built  here  a  large  tenement  house,  which  stood 
between  his  house  and  that  of  Mrs.  Ayers,  which  was  removed,  when 
the  town  purchased  the  land  in  1873  for  a  school-house,  to  a  site 
nearly  opposite  the  house  of  the  late  Patrick  McNamara,  on  Walpole 
street.  This  house  was  often  occupied  by  three  or  four  families,  and 
with  one  exception  was  the  only  tenement  house  which  the  town  has 
ever  had.  Some  years  after  its  removal  it  was  torn  down.  This 
settlement  was  long  called  Faulkville. 

ITHAMAR  WHITING,  1st,  who  inherited  a  half  interest  in  his 
father's  farm  on  Springdale  avenue,  sold  his  farni  of  seventy- three 
and  one-third  acres  in  1774.  While  all  trace  of  this  place  has  been 
lost,  it  is  believed  to  have  been  originally  set  off  from  his  father's 
farm,  and  to  have  included  the  area  opposite  the  town  hall,  bounded 
north  by  Springdale  avenue,  and  east  by  Walpole  street.  Mr.  Whit- 
ing also  sold,  in  1774,  his  interest  in  his  father's  farm  to  his  brother, 
Aaron.  Mr.  Whiting  met  with  an  injury — a  very  common  thing  in 
the  age  of  logging,  teaming,  and  rough  farming — which  affected  his 
mind.  He  was  a  Free  Mason,  and  in  his  condition  the  young  men 
tried  to  induce  him  to  divulge  its  secrets,  but  never  a  word  would  he 
say.  All  trace  of  him  is  lost  after  1780,  when  his  family  ceased  to 
be  a  part  of  the  life  of  the  community. 

Angus  McDonald  occupies  a  house  which  belonged  to  the  LINUS 
BLISS,  estate  and  was  built  by  Mr.  Bliss  about  1880.  This  was  one 
of  the  very  first  houses  built  for  rent,  with  little  or  no  land  for  cultiva- 
tion, in  the  history  of  the  town. 

56 


DOVER    FARMS 

Gustaf  Headburg's  house  was  built  in  1870  by  HORATIO 
NEWELL,  who  purchased  the  land  and  built  the  house,  as  he  desired 
to  return  to  the  home  of  his  ancestors,  who  were  early  residents  of  the 
town. 

Josiah  D.  Hammond's  place  has  not  been  definitely  traced  to  the 
original  settler,  but  was  probably  the  house-lot  of  Ithamar  Whiting, 
who  established  a  home  in  1765.  Here  DANIEL  GOOKIN  lived, 
and  his  wife  kept  a  private  school  in  the  house  more  than  century 
ago.  He  was  descended  from  Daniel  Gookin,  the  friend  of  Cromwell. 
Roses  grew  around  these  early  dwellings,  from  which  the  housewife 
distilled  rosewater  for  flavoring,  and  yearly  made  that  widely  known 
sweetmeat,  "consarve  of  roses,"  which  is  still  made  on  some  ancient 
farms.  Here  Mrs.  Burrage  had  a  weaving  shop  in  connection  with 
her  home,  where  she  did  weaving  for  the  housewives  of  the  town. 
Some  of  these  old  homes  had  fine  collections  of  coin  and  token  money. 
To  the  mint  the  residents  carried  old  silver,  to  be  made  into  bright 
pine  tree  shillings  and  smaller  coins.  Later  Spanish  silver  was  in 
circulation  and  used  until  it  was  worn  so  thin  that  it  took  an  act  of 
Congress  to  make  it  a  legal  tender.  Some  fine  specimens  are 
recalled  of  the  cents  and  half  cents  made  by  an  act  of  the  legislature 
in  1787.  At  this  time  it  was  difficult  to  roll  metal,  and  so  the  first 
rolling  mill  in  America  was  set  up  in  Dedham  for  the  distinct  purpose 
of  rolling  the  metal  used  in  cutting  these  coins. — Josiah  Knowlton, 
John  Burrage,  Richard  Kenrich. 

HEZEKIAH  BATTELLE'S  farm,  settled  in  1784,  was  long  ago 
deserted.  The  buildings  have  disappeared,  but  the  ruins  of  the  cellar 
can  still  be  seen  southward  from  the  junction  of  Pine  and  Centre 
streets.  The  lilac  bushes,  which  still  bloom  in  the  spring,  are  as 
old  as  the  elms  which  shade  them.  Here  the  spotted  tiger  lily,  said 
to  have  been  first  brought  to  this  country  from  far-away  Cathay,  still 
grows  by  the  door-step.  The  site  of  colonial  homes,  long  since 
decayed,  is  often  marked  by  the  lilac,  flowering  currant,  butter  and 
eggs,  and  the  beautiful  lupines,  which  are  uncommon  nowadays. 
Our  grandmothers  inherited  their  love  for  flowers  from  their  Puritan 

57 


DOVER    FARMS 

ancestors.  The  life  of  the  early  settlers  in  New  England  irresistibly 
points  to  the  tender  affection  which  they  had  for  the  homes  which  they 
had  left  behind  in  old  England.  This  love  is  in  no  way  more  plainly 
shown  than  in  their  flower-gardens,  with  its  succession  of  flowers, 
which  told  and  retold  the  story  of  the  changing  seasons  by  their 
growth,  blossom  and  decay.  The  flowers  which  grow  around  us 
illustrate  the  life  and  history  of  our  fathers.  The  "Indian  pipe" 
recalls  the  council  of  Indian  braves;  the  moccasin  flower,  the  squaw 
berry,  Indian  tobacco  and  Indian  hemp,  all  remind  us  of  the  life  of 
the  red  men  who  once  lived  in  these  parts.  We  also  find  our  ancestors* 
religious  experiences  and  feelings  expressed  in  Jacob's  Ladder,  the 
Benjamin  Bush,  Solomon's  Seal,  St.  John's  Wort,  the  Passion 
Flower,  Life  Everlasting,  the  Dragon's  Head,  the  Judas  Tree  and 
Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  Again  we  find  in  flowers  suggestions  which 
touched  their  daily  lives  and  found  expression  in  the  names  of  com- 
rades and  sweethearts,  as  Sweet  Mary,  Sweet  William  and  Bounc- 
ing Bet.  An  intimacy  with  nature  is  also  found  in  the  wind-flower, 
Snapdragon,  Larkspur,  Crane's  Bill  and  Columbine.  The  blossom 
of  the  shad-bush  reminds  one  of  the  passage  of  the  shad  up  the 
stream,  while  the  cranberry  ripens  at  the  season  of  "the  crying  of 
the  crane,"  from  which  it  derives  its  name.  This  was  the  birthplace 
of  Dr.  Isaac  W.  Sawin,  for  many  years  a  leading  physician  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island. — Joel  Sawin. 

Jereome  B.  Snow  of  Sharon  purchased  in  1845  a  part  of  the 
Hezekiah  Battelle  homestead,  where  his  brother,  JEDEDIAH  H. 
SNOW,  erected  in  1847  the  house  now  owned  by  William  Wall. 
Pine  Rock  hill  was  for  a  time  called  "Snow  hill,"  for  this  family, 
but  in  recent  years  the  original  name  has  been  restored  on  all  town 
maps. 

Andrew  T.  McCoy's  place  was  also  a  part  of  Hezekiah  Battelle's 
farm.  The  house  was  built  by  JOEL  SAWIN  in  1846.  Michael 
Cunningham  owned  this  farm  for  many  years.  He  came  to  Dover 
when  a  boy,  and  lived  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Eastman.  With  the 
Sullivan  Brothers  he  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  Catholic  faith  to 

58 


^■iw  ^Bm 

ffilPilwfc  't|^pi^  ^ 

-f'   •    - 

7/i^  Josiah  Draper  House.     Farm  settled  in  lySy 


DOVER    FARMS 

settle  in  Dover.  For  years  previous  to  1875  drovers  with  steel-yards 
thrown  over  their  shoulder,  passed  through  the  town  at  irregular 
intervals,  with  droves  of  pigs  which  they  sold  to  farmers;  while  in 
towns  more  remote  from  the  public  market  place  droves  of  cattle, 
which  completely  filled  the  road,  were  driven  through  the  streets 
for  sale  to  farmers,  who  usually  put  in  at  least  a  couple  of  steers  to 
fatten  during  the  winter,  and  which  were  sold  in  the  spring  to  the 
local  butcher. 

Irvin  A.  Paine's  house  was  built  by  his  father,  JOHN  R.  PAINE, 
in  1851.  The  land  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Josiah  Draper  farm. 
Here  Mr.  Paine  has  carried  on  for  many  years  the  manufacture  of 
straw  horse-collars,  a  very  humane  article  for  use  in  hot  weather  or 
in  heavy  teaming,  which  have  found  a  ready  demand  in  the  Boston 
market. 

John  McKenzie's  farm  was  the  original  JOSIAH  DRAPER  place. 
Mr.  Draper  settled  here  in  1787  and  erected  the  present  buildings. 
He  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  resident  of  the  town.  Our  fore- 
fathers were  much  averse  to  the  celebration  of  Christmas;  adults  in 
this  town  as  late  as  1875  had  in  their  youth  no  Christmas  presents, 
or  ever  saw  an  observance  of  the  day.  All  farm  work  went  on  as 
usual;  schools  were  in  session,  and  it  was  only  in  the  almanac  that 
any  reference  to  the  day  was  found.  How  in  contrast  is  an  English- 
man's account  of  Christmas  of  the  same  period.  Christmastides 
in  my  early  life  were  all  in  the  homes.  It  was  just  Christmas,  but 
so  full  of  joy  for  young  and  old,  so  warm  from  the  yule-fires  and 
so  fragrant  with  good  cheer,  that  I  wonder  whether  we  have  not  lost 
track  of  something  even  in  the  great  and  generous  bounty  we  pour  out 
now — something  of  the  Home  Christmas. 

Benjamin  W.  Leighton's  farm  was  set  off  from  the  Draper  estate 
and  was  first  occupied  by  MOSES  DRAPER  in  1819.  It  passed 
out  of  the  Draper  family  in  1887,  when  it  was  sold  by  Leonard 
Draper,  who  had  here  made  shoes  for  many  years.  Mrs.  Draper 
was  one  of  those  who  engaged,  with  other  women  of  the  town,  in 

59 


DOVER    FARMS 

making  straw  bonnets,  a  home  industry  by  which  many  women  earned 
from  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  dollars.  The  straw  braid 
was  put  out  by  the  straw  works  of  neighboring  towns,  especially 
Medfield.  During  the  winter  and  spring  straw  teams  visited  Dover 
each  week,  and  during  the  season  took  out  an  enormous  quantity  of 
manufactured  goods  The  books  of  manufacturers  show  that  in  some 
communities,  not  larger  than  Dover,  the  women  earned  as  much  as 
$7,000  in  a  single  season  in  sewing  straw  bonnets. 

R.  MURDOCK  McKENZIE'S  house  was  built  by  himself  in" 
1887,  on  land  which  belonged  to  Miss  Ann  Harding.  Miss  Harding, 
whose  estate  came  to  her  through  inheritance,  was  a  direct  descendant 
on  her  maternal  side  of  Thomas  Battelle,  who  settled  in  Dover  as 
early  as  1667.  Her  family  therefore  represented  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  of  Dover  life.  In  the  early  sixties  photograph 
albums — introduced  into  this  country  from  Paris — became  popular 
and  were  found  in  every  home.  Prominent  in  the  collection  were  the 
photographs  of  uniformed  soldiers  of  the  family  or  neighborhood. 
Every  young  lady  expected  a  photograph  album  as  a  present. 

JESSE  NEWELL  settled  the  farm  until  lately  occupied  by  Miss 
Carrie  Newell,  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1792.  Here  in  the 
early  time  was  heard  the  sound  of  the  loom,  as  Mr.  Newell  engaged 
in  weaving,  as  well  as  farming.  This  tract  of  land  commands  an 
extensive  view  and  is  noted  for  the  beauty  of  its  situation.  Winthrop 
A.  Harvey  purchased  this  estate  a  few  years  since.  He  has  made 
extensive  changes  in  the  house,  but  it  still  retains  its  original  old- 
time  appearance. — John  A.  Newell. 

{ 
ELEAZER  ALLEN'S  farm,  now  owned  by  the  Norfolk  Hunt 
Club,  was  settled  at  a  very  early  time,  (1712)  in  the  development  of 
the  town.  Originally  the  farm  included  the  Jesse  Newell  place  and 
others  in  the  vicinity.  From  1881  to  1891  this  farm  was  used  as  a 
branch  of  the  "Experiment  School"  established  in  1848  at  South 
Boston  for  the  teaching  and  training  of  feeble-minded  youth.  The 
South   Boston   school  was  the  first   state   institution  established   in 

60 


DOVER    FARMS 

America  for  the  training  of  this  class  of  individuals.  The  late  Mrs. 
Kate  Gannett  Wells,  speaking  of  this  work,  says :  "There  is  no  more 
interesting  phase  of  psychology  than  that  of  the  development  of  the 
low  grade,  feeble-minded  child  into  an  intelligent,  self-guiding  person, 
with  due  regard  for  the  rights  of  others."  Since  the  Dover  farm 
proved  a  pleasant  and  attractive  home  to  a  number  of  these  un- 
fortunate youth,  and  helped  to  demonstrate  the  importance  of  per- 
manently moving  the  institution  to  the  country,  we  may  be  glad 
that  this  town  had  some  part  in  this  work,  which  is  of  great  im- 
portance and  is  not  as  yet  fully  understood  and  appreciated.  The 
question  still  remains,  "What  is  to  be  done  with  the  adult  feeble 
minded?  Shall  they  be  allowed  to  return  to  the  world  to  multiply 
their  kind,  or  shall  they  be  permanently  housed  and  supported  by  the 
state?"  An  estate  of  70  acres  having  been  purchased  in  Waltham  and 
suitable  buildings  erected,  the  Dover  branch  was  closed  in  1891  and 
the  members  moved  to  that  city.  This  beautiful  estate  is  now  owned 
by  the  Norfolk  Hunt  Club.  A  fine  club  house  is  prominent  among 
the  Club's  group  of  buildings. — Eleazer  Allen,  Jr.,  Jesse  Newell,  Jr. 

'  -'1 
Note: — The  Allen  homestead  in  the  north  part  of  Medfield  has  been  in 
the  possession  of  the  family  since  1673,  and  during  King  Philip's  War  the 
house  was  set  on  fire.  Members  of  this  family  owned  land  which  extended 
through  to  the  Natick  line.  JOSEPH  ALLEN'S  farm  was  divided  by 
the  line  which  separates  Dover  from  Medfield.  There  is  evidence  that  the 
first  house  on  this  farm,  John  A.  Newell  place,  Medfield,  was  located  on 
the  Dover  side  of  the  line,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  built  in  1701. 
Beside  the  door  of  the  old  house,  white  daffodils  were  planted,  which  have 
continued  to  bloom  to  this  day.  Mr.  Allen  died  in  1727,  and  his  house  was 
soon  after  removed  and  a  new  one  erected  on  the  Medfield  side  of  the  line, 
yet  through  more  than  200  years  these  beautiful  flowers  have  struggled  on, 
and  each  succeeding  spring  gladdened  some  heart,  or  perchance  reminded 
someone  of  this  early  home  planted  more  than  two  centuries  ago. 

4-       4-       4* 

PINE  STREET  extends  from  Centre  street  to  the  Medfield  line. 
As  a  street  it  is  older  than  Centre  street,  and  for  many  years 
was  the  chief  road  leading  to  Medfield.  Over  this  street  there  rolled 
in  from  Medfield,  in  the  years  gone  by,  the  picturesque  tin  pedler*s 
cart,  which  supplied  many  household  articles  not  found  in  the  country 

61 


DOVER    FARMS 

store,  and  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  of  swapping  rags,  paper, 
feathers,  and  old  junk  for  bright  new  tinware  appealed  to  the  thrifty 
housewives.  We  can  recall  the  long,  bright  red  cart,  with  its  rack 
in  the  rear  for  rags,  and  a  row  of  brooms  on  either  side,  with  a  great 
variety  of  baskets,  brushes  and  woodenware.  Within  the  cart,  when 
the  lid  was  lifted,  was  exhibited  an  innumerable  variety  of  tinware 
of  all  shapes  and  sizes  used  in  housekeeping,  with  glass  and  other 
wares.  The  tin  trunk,  carried  on  the  driver's  high  seat,  contained  a 
wealth  of  little  articles  which  appealed  to  the  imagination  of  the  chil- 
dren, and  were  as  eagerly  examined  as  the  finest  collection  would  be 
to-day  in  a  city  store.  With  changed  conditions  and  department  stores, 
the  tin  pedler's  cart  has  disappeared,  yet  it  fondly  lingers  in  the 
memory  of  many  individuals.  Pack  peddlers  traveled  over  this  territory 
for  many  years;  the  inventory  of  the  stock  of  a  Massachusetts  pedler 
who  died  in  1711  is  on  record,  and  shows  what  was  carried  in  those 
days.  He  had  for  the  women:  fans,  combs,  pins,  thimbles,  beeswax, 
thread,  buttons,  black  beads,  sewing  silk,  scissors,  shoes,  silk,  and 
linen  handkerchiefs,  round,  square,  sewing  and  knitting  needles,  silk, 
cambric,  calico,  linen,  muslin,  lace,  Holland,  ribbon,  hair,  worked 
and  worsted  stockings,  leather  bags,  mace  and  nutmegs;  for  the  men; 
jack  knives,  Jew's-harps,  penknives,  razors,  ink  horns,  shirts,  shoes, 
leather  gloves,  shoe  buckles,  saddles,  bridles,  male  pillions,  bootjacks 
and  books  and  ballads. 

EBENEZER  MASON  settled  the  farm  which  is  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  Pine  street,  in  1725;  while  the  house  is  in  Medfield,  the 
barn  and  the  larger  part  of  the  land  is  in  Dover.  The  Mason  family 
of  Medfield  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Dover,  as  well  as  in  Med- 
field, and  this  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Mason  estate.  Here 
Charles  Newell  lived  for  many  years.  He  was  a  very  jovial  man  and 
a  great  favorite  with  his  family.  Mr.  Newell  represented  a  class  now 
entirely  extinct  in  the  community,  who  looked  for  recreation  and  social 
intercourse  entirely  at  home  among  neighbors  and  friends.  They 
formed  a  society  of  their  own  as  exclusive  as  Free  Masonry,  to  which 
were  admitted  kindred  spirits,  who  revelled  as  often  as  they  met  in 
the  wit,  humor,  and  story-telling  of  the  company. 

62 


DOVER    FARMS 

JOSIAH  WHITING  built  a  house  on  Pine  street,  east  of  Center 
street  in  1888,  (when  he  retired  from  his  farm  and  general  wood 
business)  which  was  burned  in  the  winter  of  1905.  The  living  of 
a  century  and  a  half  ago  is  well  illustrated  by  the  will  of  Nathaniel 
Whiting  of  Dedham,  made  in  1760,  by  which  he  gave  his  wife  the 
use  and  improvement  of  his  dwelling-house,  household  furniture  and 
books,  with  yard  room  and  a  common  use  of  his  well  of  water,  also 
one  cow  well  kept,  twelve  cords  of  good  fire  wood  cut  fit  for  use  and 
delivered  at  her  door,  ten  bushels  of  good  Indian  corn,  three  bushels 
of  good  rye,  two  bushels  of  good  malt,  one  bushel  of  good  wheat,  and 
a  hundred  pounds  of  good  pork.  This  place  is  now  owned  by 
Katherine  E.  Powers,  who  was  the  first  to  erect  a  set  of  buildings  in 
Dover  of  concrete  construction,  which  illustrates  how  desirable  and 
practical  this  method  of  construction  is  for  country  residences. 

Richard  Heard  occupies  a  place  which  was  a  part  of  JOSIAH 
WHITING'S  estate.  The  house  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
Dover  poor  house,  and  was  moved  to  its  present  site  and  remodeled 
by  Mr.  Whiting  in  1865.  The  fact  that  Dover  once  had  a  poorhouse 
shows  that  the  town  had  some  slovenly  farmers  where  "nothing  was 
kept  in  order,  nothing  was  preserved.  The  wagon  stood  in  the 
sun  and  rain,  and  the  plow  rusted  in  the  field.  The  crops  were 
destroyed  by  wandering  cattle,  or  they  were  put  in  too  late,  or  too 
early,  or  they  were  blown  down,  or  caught  by  the  frost,  or  devoured 
by  bugs,  or  stung  by  flies,  or  eaten  by  worms,  or  carried  away  by  birds, 
or  washed  away  by  floods,  or  dried  up  by  the  sun,  or  rotted  in  the 
stalk,  or  heated  in  the  crib,  or  they  all  run  to  vines,  or  tops,  or  straw, 
or  cobs,"  some  of  the  accidents  that  lie  in  wait  between  the  plow  and 
the  reaper. — Joseph  Durocher. 

Jonathan  Whiting's  farm  has  been  in  the  Whiting  family  for  more 
than  a  century,  having  been  purchased  by  his  father  in  1802.  This 
was  the  ASA  MASON  place  and  was  first  occupied  by  him  in  1755. 
Mr.  Mason  was  a  cooper  and  carried  on  his  trade  in  connection 
with  the  farm.  On  these  farms  there  was,  in  addition  to  farm  work, 
the  peeling  of  bark,  the  cutting  of  ship  timber,  the  making  of  oak 

63 


DOVER    FARMS 

trunnels,  the  burning  of  charcoal,  and  with  the  introduction  of  trade 
with  the  Azores,  the  Canaries,  Spain,  Holland,  and  the  West  Indies, 
the  making  of  hoops  and  staves,  which  were  shipped  in  bulk  and  set 
up  by  native  coopers  largely  in  the  West  Indies.  Here  many  of  these 
industries  were  carried  on  for  many  years,  especially  the  making  of 
hoops,  the  burning  of  charcoal,  and  the  cutting  of  cord  wood.  Josiah 
Whiting  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  largest  dealers  in  these  prod- 
ucts in  the  county.  This  farm  had  its  peach  orchard.  In  the  early 
time  peach  trees  found  a  sustaining  soil  and  grew  to  a  large  size 
compared  with  the  short  lived,  sickly  peach  trees  of  to-day.  Under 
a  single  tree  an  ox-cart  load  of  luscious  peaches  was  often  gathered. 
It  is  a  tradition  that  this  farm  was  originally  settled  by  a  member 
of  the  Chickering  family,  but  the  fact  is  not  established  by  record. — 
Theodore  Newell,  Jonathan  Whiting,  Senior,  Josiah  Whiting. 

George  McKenzie's  place  was  originally  the  JOSEPH  CHENEY 
farm  and  was  settled  by  him  in  1782.  He  later  moved  to  New  Hamp- 
shire and  the  place  was  owned  for  a  time  by  William  Bacon.  This 
farm  is  of  interest  as  it  was,  at  one  time,  the  town  poor  farm.  Here 
Daniel  Whiting  manufactured  shoes  for  a  time,  having  learned  the 
trade  from  Harrison  G.  O.  Hooker,  whom  he  employed  to  teach  him. 
— Samuel  Jones. 

WILLOW  STREET  extends  from  Newell's  bridge  to  Dedham 
street.  While  there  was  much  contention  about  the  build- 
ing of  roads  in  this  vicinity  the  demand  was  created  by  the 
mill  interests,  the  proprietors  of  which  co-operated  in  the 
work,  and  even  took  the  contract  for  building  a  part  of  the  road.. 

JOSIAH  NEWELL,  JR.,  settled  the  Newell  homestead  on  the 
right  in  1797.  This  estate  was  called  the  "Island."  The  mansion 
house  was  built  by  BENJAMIN  NEWELL  in  1851;  and  the  ruins 
of  the  cellar  can  still  be  seen.  It  was  burned  in  1894.  Josiah 
Newell's  house  was  located  south  of  the  mansion  house.  This  house 
was  moved  into  Needham  in  1868,  and  is  still  standing.     Newell's 

64 


DOVER    FARMS 

store  and  Noanet  hall  were  located  south  of  the  homestead. — Edmund 
B.  Otis. 

HENRY  SCHOMAKER  of  Needham  purchased  a  part  of  the 
Newell  estate  in  1876.  Later  he  moved  a  section  of  an  addition  that 
had  been  built  to  Josiah  Newell's  store,  and  made  it  into  the  little 
cottage  now  standing  on  the  original  Newell  estate. 

Mills  of  various  kinds  were  early  established  on  Charles  river,  and 
for  many  years  this  was  a  place  of  extensive  business  operations.  A 
store  was  located  here  for  more  than  seventy-five  years  which  was  first 
opened  by  JOSIAH  NEWELL,  JR.  Noanet  hall  was  built  in  con- 
nection with  the  store,  and  marks  a  spot  of  much  interest.  It  was 
burned  in  1884.  Here  the  sessions  of  the  first  Sunday-school, 
organized  in  1818,  were  held.  Here,  in  the  days  of  church  fairs,  was 
annually  held  the  festivities  of  the  churches,  which  were  largely 
attended  by  the  residents  of  this  and  surrounding  towns.  The  bed 
quilt  drawn  by  lottery  was  a  popular  feature,  and  produced  much 
merriment.  Erastus  Gay,  a  bachelor  from  Westwood,  who  was  con- 
nected for  many  years  with  Gay's  dry  goods  store,  where  Dover  resi- 
dents did  their  trading,  always  carried  away,  if  possible,  the  bed  quilt 
furnished  by  the  ladies  for  the  fair.  The  hall  and  the  store  meant 
much  to  this  community  for  nearly  a  century.  The  first  Post  Office 
at  Charles  River  stood  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  street,  nearly 
opposite  the  house  of  Josiah  Newell,  Jr.  For  many  years  there  were 
circulated  through  the  mails  to  the  residents  of  the  town  lottery  adver- 
tisements. Now  and  then  an  investor  was  successful,  but  the  lottery 
exerted  a  baneful  influence  everywhere.  Even  in  the  text-books  used 
in  the  schools  there  were  frequent  references  to  lotteries.  The  difii- 
culty  in  raising  money  for  public  purposes  early  led  to  this  practice 
among  the  American  Colonists.  Lotteries  were  organized  for  the 
erection  of  churches  and  the  building  of  educational  institutions,  the 
paving  of  streets,  and  the  building  of  public  markets.  A  lottery  was 
organized  as  late  as  1806,  to  raise  money  to  erect  a  building  at  Har- 
vard College.  The  advertisements  of  the  Louisiana  Lottery  were 
especially  addressed  to  residents  previous  to  1870. 

65 


DOVER    FARMS 

JEREMIAH  MARDEN  built  in  1826  the  house  of  the  late  John 
Quinn.  He  moved  here  from  Newton.  Mr.  Marden  was  a  stone- 
mason by  trade,  and  built  the  stone  walls  around  the  well-known 
Bussey  farm  at  Roslindale.  During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  kept 
a  little  store  in  this  house. 

CHARLES  MARDEN  built  the  house  opposite  in  1850.  After 
making  several  trips  to  California  he  settled  in  Dedham,  and  the  place 
was  owned  for  many  years  by  William  Hill,  the  proprietor  of  the 
paper  mill.  Mr.  Marden  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  interested  in 
the  native  forest  products  of  the  town,  which  furnished  white  oak  for 
ship  timber;  white  pine  for  shingles,  and  clapboards;  chestnut  for 
rails  and  ties;  maple  for  cabinet  work  and  open  fires;  ash  for  spokes 
of  wheels,  and  elm  for  hubs;  hickory  for  boards  and  planks;  spruce 
for  coverings;  cedar  for  posts;  butternut  wood  for  dye  stuffs;  birch, 
witch-hazel,  and  alder  for  summer  fuel ;   and  pitch-pine  for  kindlings. 

Mrs.  Agnes  Davidson's  house  was  built  by  EDWARD  BLAKE. 
The  land  comprised  in  this  and  the  two  above-mentioned  places  was 
a  part  of  the  Lemuel  Richards  estate  on  Dedham  street.  People  lived 
happily  in  these  little  homes  removed  from  the  bustle  of  the  world. 
On  week  days  they  got  out  of  town  by  train,  but  on  Sunday  they 
had  no  communication  with  the  outside  world.  Religious  services 
were  held  in  Noanet  hall,  and  later  in  the  Charles  River  School-house. 
— Ezra  Keys. 

Cornelius  Sullivan's  farm  was  the  SAMUEL  FLOYD  place,  known 
for  many  years  as  the  "peat  lot."  Mr.  Sullivan  was  the  first  person 
of  the  Celtic  race  to  settle  in  Dover.  With  the  introduction  of  air-tight 
stoves  much  peat  was  cut  in  the  meadow  lands.  This  was  burned  in 
large  pieces  in  these  stoves,  which  kept  a  slow,  safe  fire  at  night  or 
when  the  house  was  deserted  by  the  family  in  attending  church  ser- 
vices on  Sunday.     Mr.  Floyd  purchased  the  land  in  1849  and  built 

the  house. — John  Bums. 

^        •{•        4« 

DEDHAM  STREET  extends  from  the  railroad  station  to  Ded- 
ham line,  and  forms  a  part  of  the  road  which  was  laid  out  as 
far  as  Noanet's  brook  in  1687.      This  road  is  referred  to  in  1711 

66 


DOVER    FARMS 

as  leading  to  Eleazer  Ellis's  farm,  which  was  one  of  the  first  settled 
in  the  center  of  the  town.  On  the  right,  opposite  the  depot,  is 
the  old  oak  which  is  the  most  conspicuous  tree  that  has  escaped 
the  axe,  and  stands  as  a  historical  witness  of  a  time  long  since  past, 
although  the  elms  in  the  vicinity  are  more  than  a  century  old.  We 
hope  every  effort  will  be  made  to  preserve  this  tree.  People  care- 
lessly admire  a  tree's  beauty  and  appreciate  its  shade,  and,  of 
course,  its  latent  possibilities  as  timber,  but  how  few  of  those  who 
have  seen  the  ease  with  which  a  great  tree  is  felled,  realize  the  wonder 
of  its  growth,  the  years  and  changes  that  went  into  its  making,  and 
the  years  and  changes  required  before  another  like  it  can  tower  in  its 
place.  This  is  the  best  specimen  that  remains  to  us  of  the  "monarch 
of  the  woods,"  and  has  been  made  the  seal  of  the  Tisdale  family 
association  of  America.  We  like  to  think  of  the  thousands  who  have 
ridden  over  these  roads  in  the  years  that  have  past,  on  that  great 
home-coming  day.  Thanksgiving,  when  the  descendants  of  the  Puri- 
tans turn  with  peculiar  interest  to  the  old  homes  and  with  devotion 
to  those  who  remained  to  welcome  them.  A  charm  rests  upon  this 
festival,  whose  origin  is  strictly  American,  and  the  nearer  one  gets  to 
the  good  old  ways  of  observing  it,  the  more  satisfaction  there  is  in  its 
observance.  One  by  one  Training  days,  Fast  day,  and  other  days, 
which  were  instituted  by  the  fathers,  have  been  dropped,  but  this 
festival  still  remains  and  holds  the  hearts  of  the  people.  While  the 
day  has  lost  much  of  its  religious  significance,  it  is  yet  strong  in  family 
reunions  and  out-of-door  amusements.  With  the  establishment  of 
this  festival,  services  were  held  in  all  meeting  houses  on  Thanksgiv- 
ing day,  and  one  of  the  two  sermons  of  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Caryl, 
which  were  printed  by  his  people  during  his  ministry  here  of  nearly 
fifty  years,  was  a  Thanksgiving  sermon.  Few  of  the  hundreds  of 
labor-saving  devices  of  the  present  day  were  then  in  existence.  The 
herbs  for  the  turkey  or  chicken  dressing  were  grown  with  great  care 
in  the  garden.  Spices  for  the  pies  and  pudding  all  came  in  the  rough 
and  were  prepared  in  the  mortar.  Even  cooking  salt  was  the  com- 
mon rock  salt  which  had  to  be  pulverized.  The  stoning  of  raisins, 
the  cutting  of  citron  and  orange  peel,  the  boiling  of  cider,  all  took 
time,  but  added  a  zest  to  the  festival.     Last,  but  not  least,  was  the 

67 


DOVER    FARMS 

cooking.  The  turkey  was  roasted  on  the  spit  before  the  great  fire, 
while  the  pudding  and  the  chicken  pie  were  consigned  to  the  brick 
oven.  Pies  of  every  conceivable  variety  were  made  by  the  hundreds 
and  included  a  supply  for  the  winter's  consumption.  Among  other 
things,  the  housewife  gave  herself  to  the  making  of  garments,  for  all 
those  who  were  to  have  new  dresses  must  appear  in  them  at  Thanks- 
giving. The  same  deft  fingers  which  trimmed  the  bonnet  also  cut 
and  made  the  clothes  in  which  the  boys  appeared  at  this  autumnal 
festival. 

COL.  DANIEL  WHITING  built  in  1761  the  old  tavern  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  Jan.  21,  1908.  The  original  building  was 
added  to  by  Newell  and  Bullen,  and  later  by  John  Williams.  Here 
John  Reed  at  one  time  lived,  and  had  a  slaughter  house,  being  the 
first  parish  butcher.  While  there  was  no  register  for  guests,  yet  the 
traditions  of  the  old  tavern  are  well  preserved,  and  there  are  those 
still  living  who  remember  its  sanded  floors  and  wooden  boxes  on  which 
the  soldiers  and  sons  of  soldiers  of  three  wars  sat  and  discussed  the 
questions  of  the  hour.*  The  balls  at  the  Williams  Tavern  were  largely 
patronized.  Aaron  Miller  furnished  the  music,  and  his  celebrated 
violin,  which  was  known  for  miles  around,  is  still  in  existence.  Young 
people  attended  these  balls  in  large  numbers,  and  cheerfully  paid  the 
charge  of  five  dollars  a  couple  for  the  ball  and  supper.  The  land  was 
once  a  part  of  the  Ellis  estate.  Mr.  Whiting's  barn  stood  opposite,  on 
ground  which  was  added  to  the  Common  a  few  years  since.  The 
cellars  of  early  houses  were  very  small,  as  shown  by  the  cellar  of  the 
tavern,  which  can  still  be  traced.  These  cellars  were  not  always  warm 
enough  to  keep  fruit  and  vegetables  from  freezing  in  extreme  weather ; 
even  cider  froze  in  barrels  in  them,  so  the  habit  was  early  established 
of  drying  apples  in  the  fall  instead  of  trying  to  keep  the  fresh  fruit, 
so  apple-paring  bees  were  common  among  the  young  folks,  which  fur- 
nished the  means  of  much  social  pleasure.  A  source  of  much  amuse- 
ment among  young  men  in  the  spring  of  the  year  was  the  spearing 

♦The  bricks  in  the  chimney  of  the  old  tavern  were  laid  in  clay,  below  the 
ridge-pole,  a  general  custom  of  the  time.  The  absence  of  lime  rock  In  the 
vicinity  was  a  great  drawback  to  the  colonists. 

68 


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Doorway  Whiting  —  Williams  Tavern,  built  iy6i 


DOVER    FARMS 

of  fish.  This  was  practised  at  night  with  a  torch  in  the  bow  of  the 
boat;  while  the  attention  of  the  fish  was  caught  by  the  bright  light  it 
was  speared  by  the  skillful  spearman.  The  fishing  tackle  found  on 
many  Dover  farms  consisted  of  a  set  of  small  rods,  hooks  and  lines, 
which  were  used  for  minnow  fishing;  traps  and  lines  for  pickerel 
fishing  through  the  ice ;  poles  and  lines  for  river  fishing  and  the  long- 
handled  spear.  These  articles  in  their  use,  not  only  furnished  much 
pleasure,  but  an  abundance  of  fresh  fish  as  well.  The  small  boys 
snared  the  rabbit  and  the  partridge,  while  the  trapping  of  fur-bearing 
animals,  the  mink,  otter  and  muskrat,  was  made  a  profitable  business 
by  some  of  the  small  farmers  of  the  town.  The  coon  was  hunted  in 
the  fall  of  the  year  and  furnished  no  small  amount  of  evening  amuse- 
ment. Excursions  of  young  people  after  the  haying  season  were  some- 
times made  to  Wachusett  and  Monadnock,  and  the  mica  gathered  from 
the  rocks  in  Fitzwilliam  was  carefully  preserved  as  a  memento  of  the 
trip.  Others,  for  a  day  at  the  seashore,  v/ent  to  Squantum,  where 
neighborhood  picnics  were  held,  or  to  Rocky  Point  on  Providence  bay. 
Girls  brought  up  to  spinning  sometimes  did  no  other  work  in  the 
household,  and  at  marriage  had  to  learn  to  cook  and  to  do  general 
housework.  Often  congenial  spinners  would  "join  work''  and  spin 
together  for  a  week  or  two.  After  two  skeins  were  done,  the  day  was 
spent  in  such  recreation  as  pleased  them. — Isaac  Howe,  Reuben 
Newell. 

MRS.  ABIGAIL  MANN  purchased  the  land  and  built  the  house 
in  1843  which  now  forms  the  parsonage  of  the  Evangelical  Congre- 
gational Church.  The  society  came  into  possession  of  this  estate 
through  the  bequest  of  Mrs.  Mann,  and  erected  the  front  part  of 
the  present  house  on  gaining  possession  of  the  property.  The  original 
house  forms  the  ell  of  the  parsonage. 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Higgins'  house  was  built  by  MRS.  MARIA  HASKELL 
in  1871,  who  occupied  it  until  her  death. — Rev.  T.  S.  Norton. 

EPHRAIM  WILSON  owned  a  house  which  once  stood  near  the  site 
of  the  Sanger  School  house.      It  was  moved  to  Dedham  street  in 

69 


Dover  farms 

1873,  and  was  burned  in  1902.    It  was  used  for  many  years  as  a  tene- 
ment house. 

ELEAZER  ELLIS,  JR.,  who  is  believed  to  have  settled  here  at  the 
time  of  his  marriage  in  1718,  built  where  the  old  parsonage  stands. 
This  was  originally  a  part  of  his  father's  estate.  John  Griggs,  a 
weaver,  lived  here  and  probably  carried  on  his  trade  in  connection 
with  the  farm.  The  present  house  was  built  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Caryl,*  a  minister  of  the  First  Parish  Church,  in  1777,  and  is  a  good 
specimen  of  the  colonial  house  erected  at  a  time  when  all  the  material 
was  cut  on  the  place.  Oak  was  used  for  the  frame  and  covering 
boards,  while  a  plenty  of  pine  was  found  for  floors  and  interior  finish. 
The  shingles  which  covered  the  roof  were  shaved,  and  the  laths  split 
from  trees  which  grew  on  the  farm.  Several  generations  of  those  who 
have  been  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  town  have  lived 
here.  This  was  the  home  of  Dr.  George  Caryl,  the  first,  and,  until 
1912,  the  only  resident  physician  which  the  townf  had  ever  had.  Miss 
Sarah  Miller,  a  grand-daughter  of  Dr.  Caryl,  was  the  last  one  in 
this  vicinity  to  make  the  decorative  paper  work  which  was  so  com- 
mon and  highly  prized  during  the  period  of  the  Revolution.  Her 
cuttings  represented  a  variety  of  subjects,  and  were  usually  made  of 
white  paper.  When  mounted  and  framed  they  adorned  many  Dover 
parlors  and  sitting  rooms.  A  fine  specimen  of  Miss  Miller's  work  is 
found  in  the  rooms  of  the  Dover  Historical  Society,  a  bequest  to  the 
society  by  its  President,  the  late  George  L.  Howe.  The  Caryl  family 
had  many  rare  and  interesting  articles,  and  among  others  its  string  of 
gold  beads,  which  had  been  worn  by  the  ladies  of  the  family  for 
many  generations.  It  was  long  believed  that  gold  beads  possessed 
healing  qualities,  and  from  time  immemorial  a  string  of  gold  beads 
worn  around  the  neck  has  been  considered  by  many  people  efficacious 
in  all  blood  diseases. — Timothy  Ellis. 

WILLIAM  FISHER  purchased  in  1773  a  tract  of  land  which 

♦The  town  named  in  1911  the  new  school  house  the  Caryl  School  in  memory 
of  this  family. 

tin  1912  Dr.  Arthur  B.  Emmons,  2nd,  became  a  resident  physician. 

70 


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DOVER    FARMS 

belonged  to  the  David  Wight  estate,  and  cleared  a  farm  which  was 
located  south  of  Dedham  street  and  was  reached  by  the  road  running 
between  the  farms  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Caryl  and  Deacon  Ebenezer 
Smith,  which  was  discontinued  by  the  town  in  1862.  This  farm  was 
located  north  of  the  "New  Mill,"  and  was  long  since  abandoned. 
Some  of  the  noble  elms  planted  by  Mr.  Fisher  still  remain,  and  adorn 
the  place. — Jesse  Fisher,  Joseph  Richards,  Joseph  Fisher,  Frederick 
Barden,  Fisher  Ayres,  James  Adams. 

The  New  Mill  Company  organized  in  1815  and  built  a  plant 
at  the  falls  of  Noanet.  In  connection  with  their  mill  the  company 
erected  a  double  tenement  house*  which  was  occupied  by  employees  of 
the  company.  After  the  failure  of  the  enterprise  various  poor  fam- 
ilies, who  paid  no  rent,  lived  here  for  some  years,  but  by  1850  the 
house  had  disappeared. 

Miss  Juliet  B.  Higginson's  "Mill  farm"  was  formerly  owned  by 
Michael  W.  Comiskey  and  was  originally  settled  by  DEACON  EBEN- 
EZER SMITH.  Mr.  Smith  purchased  the  land  of  William  Fisher, 
and  is  believed  to  have  settled  here  in  1775.  In  connection  with  the 
large  wholesale  milk  business  built  up  by  Mr.  Comiskey,  it  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  Lewis  Smith,  Jr.,  established  here,  many  years  ago,  a 
retail  milk  business.  He  left  home  in  season  to  deliver  his  milk  each 
morning  to  his  Roxbury  customers. — Daniel  Sullivan. 

Edward  K.  Dandrow's  place  was  originally  the  little  farm  of 
PATRICK  WALL,  who  purchased  the  land  and  erected  a  house  in 
1856.  Here  he  reared  ten  children,  several  of  whom  are  now  success- 
ful Boston  merchants. — Edward  James. 

DAVID  WIGHT,  who  settled  in  the  parish  as  early  as  1716,  had 
a  house  which  was  located  nearly  opposite  Mr.  Dandrow's.  This 
farm  was  later  owned  by  Nathaniel  Battelle,  the  first  resident  of  the 
parish  to  graduate  from  college.  Mr.  Battelle  was  not  a  successful 
farmer.    At  one  time  he  asked  of  Capt.  Samuel  Fisher  the  privilege  of 

*For  the  location  of  this  house  see  Map  of  Dover  published  by  the  town 
in  1831. 

n 


Dover  farms 

picking  up  firewood  on  his  lot.  Mr.  Fisher  humorously  replied  that 
"he  could  not  grant  the  favor,  as  he  had  sent  two  sons  to  Harvard,  both 
of  whom  would  probably  need  to  pick  up  the  wood  themselves." 
Farmers  were  careful  about  contracting  debt,  as  poor  debtors  for  many 
years  could  be  confined  in  jail. 

LEWIS  B.  PAINE'S  house  was  built  by  himself  in  1891  on  land 
purchased  of  Daniel  Sullivan.  It  stands  not  far  from  the  spot  on 
which  was  built  nearly  two  centuries  ago  the  barn  of  David  Wight. 

LEMUEL  RICHARDS'  farm  is  beautifully  situated  on  Noanet's 
brook,  since  made  famous  by  the  story  of  "King  Noanett."  In  early 
sales  of  real  estate  in  this  vicinity,  "Noanet  the  Indian"  is  referred 
to,  as  he  had  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  Noanet  brook.  This  farm 
has  been  occupied  since  1785,  and  was  originally  a  part  of  a  larger 
tract  of  land,  which  belonged  to  Joseph  Chickering.  In  the  cultiva- 
tion of  these  farms  there  was  as  much  prejudice  against  the  use  of 
buckwheat  as  there  was  in  the  Connecticut  valley  against  the  eating 
of  shad,  both  were  regarded  as  food  for  "poor  folks."  Consequently 
there  was  little  buckwheat  grown  on  Dover  farms.  Corn  was  the  great 
staple  and  in  lieu  of  money  was  often  used  in  the  purchase  of  real 
estate,  as  illustrated  by  a  sale  made  by  Lemuel  Richards  in  1780, 
of  thirty  acres  of  land  on  Dedham  street,  for  which  he  received  four 
hundred  and  forty-four  bushels  of  Indian  corn.  Augustin  H.  Par- 
ker has  recently  erected  on  this  estate  a  large  brick  house  of  the  French 
manor  type  and  appropriately  retains  the  name  of  Noanet  farm. — 
Seth  Blake,  Lieut.  Charles  C.  J.  Spear. 

LIEUT.  LEMUEL  RICHARDS  in  his  settlement  first  built,  in 
1764,  on  the  farm  lately  owned  by  R.  J.  Gilmore,  but  later  sold  it 
and  built  on  that  part  of  his  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Parker. 
Lemuel  Richards  served  in  the  last  French  and  Indian  War,  and  was 
a  Lieutenant  in  the  Revolution.  He  had  a  noted  posterity  in  William 
F.  Draper,  a  General  in  the  Civil  War,  an  ambassador  to  Italy,  and 
in  Eben  S.  Draper  a  former  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth.  In  busi- 
ness life,  both  were  connected  with  the  great  Draper  industry  at  Hope- 

72 


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DOVER    FARMS 

dale,  Mass.  The  farmhouse  on  this  place  was  built  by  Calvin  Bar- 
den;  here  Elijah  Dewing  had  a  blacksmith's  shop.  Facing  on  Mill 
street  Philip  C.  Stanwood  has  built  an  attractive  house. — Capt.  Geo. 
Scott. 

Dr.  Francis  B.  Grinnell  owns  the  place  which  was  converted  into  a 
little  farm  by  CALVIN  RICHARDS  about  1846.  The  original 
house,  since  removed,  was  the  ell  of  Mr.  Richards'  house,  which  he 
moved  to  the  spot.  This  homestead  was  for  many  years  the  home  of 
Capt.  Gardner  C.  Whiting.  In  the  sail  packet  days  there  was  no 
going  abroad  for  pleasure  with  the  residents  of  this  town.  A  trip  to 
Europe  was  an  epoch  in  one's  life.  With  the  accommodations,  con- 
veniences and  rapidity  of  steamboat  travel  came  pleasure  trips  to  Eng- 
land and  the  Continent.  Miss  Irene  Freeman  Sanger,  who  belongs  to 
the  greater  Dover,  was,  as  far  as  known,  the  first  native  of  the  town  to 
go  abroad.  Mrs.  Gardner  C.  Whiting  and  daughter  Eleanor  are  be- 
lieved to  have  been  the  first  residents  of  Dover  to  have  gone  abroad  to 
make  an  extended  tour  for  study  and  pleasure.  They  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  a  numerous  and  ever  increasing  number,  so  that  a  trip  to 
Europe  is  now  a  common  thing  among  the  residents  of  the  town.  Dr. 
Grinnell  has  built  a  beautiful  house,  which  is  a  fine  addition  to  the 
constantly  increasing  number  of  attractive  estates  for  which  Dover  is 
now  noted. 

Frederic  H.  Curtiss'  farm  was  the  home  of  EBENEZER  RICH- 
ARDS. This  beautiful  farm  was  taken  up  by  Mr.  Richards  previous 
to  the  Revolution,  (1769).  He  died  in  1784  at  the  age  of  40  years 
and  3  days,  and  the  following  statement  was  made  by  the  Clerk  in 
the  records  of  the  town:  "The  first  death  since  Dover  was  incorpor- 
ated." Ebenezer  Richards,  Jr.,  being  the  only  heir  who  had  arrived 
at  the  age  of  21  years,  inherited  the  farm.  As  he  settled  in  Newton 
the  farm  was  sold  in  1792.  The  river  farms,  where  residents  have 
protection  from  encroachment,  and  can  feel  the  influence  of  this  beauti- 
ful stream,  are  appreciated  to-day.  Here  Deacon  Calvin  Bigelow 
lived  for  many  years,  and  had  a  blacksmith's  shop  in  connection  with 
his  farm.    The  house  on  this  farm,  which  Mr.  Curtiss  is  endeavoring 

73 


DOVER    FARMS 

to  preserve  in  its  ancient  simplicity,  has  a  secret  chamber  in  the 
chimney  which  has  been  made  accessible  by  a  flight  of  stairs.  This 
house  thus  perpetuates  in  the  secret  chamber  a  custom  common  during 
the  French  and  Indian  wars.  On  this  farm  was  carried  on  a  series 
of  domestic  manufactures,  including  the  braiding  of  straw,  at  which 
the  Bigelow  boys  worked  as  well  as  the  girls. — William  Richards, 
Calvin  Bigelow,  Charles  A.  Bigelow,  William  F.  Humphrey,  Eben 
Smith. 

Miss  Alice  Richards  of  Needham  owns  the  farm  which  was  origin- 
ally a  part  of  the  Ralph  Day  estate.  The  present  house  was  built  by 
JOHN  DAY,  who  settled  here  in  1786,  having  purchased  the  land  of 
his  father,  and  the  elms  in  front  of  the  house  were  planted  by  his  hands. 
This  farm  was  later  owned  by  Daniel  Mann,  who  lived  here  with 
his  family  for  many  years.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  master  builder 
and  carried  on  an  extensive  business  in  connection  with  his  farm. 
Mr.  Mann  was  the  first  Dover  agent  appointed  by  the  Dedham  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  and  here  was  the  first  fire  insurance  agency 
in  town.  In  connection  with  this  farm  there  was  a  foot  bridge  across 
Charles  river,  which  was  maintained  for  many  years,  for  the  con- 
venience of  those  wishing  to  cross  the  stream.  It  was  washed  away 
one  year  by  the  spring  freshet  and  was  never  rebuilt. — ^Luther  Rich- 
ards, John  C.  Coombs. 

John  H.  Brown's  farm  was  long  in  the  Day  family.  Ralph  Day, 
a  mason  of  Dedham,  in  his  will  made  in  1677,  bequeathed  his  real 
estate  to  his  sons,  John  and  Ralph.  The  home  place  in  Dedham  was 
given  to  John,  who  was  required  to  help  his  brother  Ralph  to  build 
"as  good  a  house  as  my  said  dwelling  house  is,  as  speedily  as  the 
said  Ralph  Day  shall  desire,  after  my  decease,  in  convenient  time,  so 
as  may  be  just."  Mr.  Day  owned  land  on  Charles  river,  and  here 
his  son  RALPH  DAY  settled  in  1706.  He  was  a  weaver  and  prob- 
ably had  a  "weaving  shop"  on  his  farm.  In  the  trying  times  before 
the  Revolution,  Ralph  Day  was  a  member  of  a  committee  appointed 
by  the  town  of  Dedham,  to  post  notices  on  the  Springfield  Parish  meet- 
ing-house, forbidding  the  use  of  tea.     At  this  time  our  grandmothers 

74 


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s 

o 


DOVER    FARMS 

found  in  Jersey  tea,  a  substitute  for  the  cup  they  loved  so  well,  a  fact 
which  their  great-great-grandchildren  read  to-day  in  their  school 
histories,  so  this  town,  in  common  with  all  the  older  towns  in  New 
England,  is  rich  in  institutions  and  in  customs  which  illustrate  and 
throw  light  on  the  early  history  of  our  times.  Edward  Bowers,  who 
once  lived  on  this  farm,  was  a  cooper  by  trade.  He  carried  on  his 
business  here  and  made  many  casks  and  staves  for  the  Boston  market. 
The  small  house  in  connection  with  this  estate  was  Ralph  Day's 
carpenter  shop,  which  was  converted  into  a  dwelling  house  by  Daniel 
Mann.  On  this  farm  could  usually  be  seen,  in  the  yard  under  an 
apple  tree,  the  grindstone  which  had  been  used  for  a  century  in 
grinding  scythes  and  edgetools.  The  scythes  used  on  the  farm  were 
hung  in  summer  time  from  a  projecting  limb,  ready  to  be  taken  down 
and  ground  when  a  boy  was  at  hand  to  turn  the  heavy  grindstone, 
or  leisure  could  be  found.  Hops,  which  were  used  by  every  housewife 
in  making  yeast,  were  grown  on  these  old  farms.  A  fresh  pole  was 
cut  each  year,  as  the  hop  vine  flourishes  best  on  a  greenwood  pole. 
— Ralph  Day,  Ralph  Day,  Jr.,  Daniel  F.  Mann. 

George  D.  Burrage's  farm  was  the  JONATHAN  DAY  place.  Mr. 
Day  settled  here  in  1743,  but  sold  the  farm  in  1781.  It  was  pur- 
chased by  Jabez  Baker  in  1792,  and  occupied  by  his  son,  Jabez,  Jr. 
This  farm  has  never  been  sold  since,  coming  to  the  present  owner  by 
inheritance.  Jabez  Baker,  Jr.,  built  the  present  house.  At  one  time 
he  had  a  slaughter  house  in  connection  with  his  farm.  The  first  house 
stood  between  the  present  house  and  the  river.  On  this  farm  in  recent 
years  has  been  exhibited  the  best  market  gardening  in  the  town  or 
vicinity.  The  variety  of  soil  and  consequent  diversity  of  crops  found 
on  some  eighty-acre  Dover  farms  would  astonish  a  westerner.  The 
best  of  clay,  the  finest  of  sand,  several  grades  of  gravel,  stoneless 
plains,  rock-ribbed  hills  and  lands  for  pasturage  and  the  dairy  are 
often  found  on  the  same  farm  In  this  variety  of  soil  are  gravelly 
knolls  adapted  to  bean  culture,  lowlands  often  too  wet  for  cultivated 
crops  but  valuable  as  grass  land,  with  cranberry  bogs,  and  acres  here 
and  there  of  the  best  of  soil  for  the  cultivation  of  potatoes,  com,  cab- 
bages, onions,  asparagus,  beets,  turnips,  parsnips,  celery,  tomatoes; 

75 


DOVER    FARMS 

with  patches  devoted  to  melons,  cucumbers,  squashes,  and  pumpkins. 
Of  the  cereals,  corn,  oats,  barley,  rye,  wheat  and  buckwheat  yield  a 
good  return ;  while  of  fruits  the  apple,  pear,  peach,  plum,  cherry,  with 
the  strawberry,  blackberry,  raspberry,  gooseberry,  currant  and 
grape  flourish.  In  forestry  the  white  oak,  black  oak,  white  pine,  pitch 
pine,  birch,  walnut,  maple,  chestnut,  ash,  alder  and  witch  hazel  are 
native  woods.  A  like  variety  of  soil  could  not  be  found  in  some  entire 
western  states,  but  all  existed  on  the  farm  where  the  writer  was  born 
and  reared  in  the  west  part  of  Dover.  While  the  farmers  of  the  town 
did  not  apply  scientific  methods  to  their  farming  and  did  not  know 
the  analysis  of  the  soil,  yet  they  did  know  from  long  experience  how 
to  cultivate  their  soil,  how  to  diversify  their  crops  better  than  many 
graduates  of  agricultural  colleges.  They  could  judge  farm  animals 
as  to  weight,  age  and  value,  with  an  accuracy  that  belonged  only  to 
the  expert.  They  had  a  judgment  often  called  "horse  sense"  that  is 
lacking  in  many  farmers  of  to-day. 

Thomas  Smith's  place  was  first  settled  by  JESSE  AYRES,  who 
bought  the  land  of  Enoch  Davenport  in  1794,  and  built  the  house 
thereon.  The  place  was  later  owned  by  Moses  Putnam,  who  kept  a 
little  grocery  store  here  for  a  few  years.  He  was  a  book  binder  by 
trade  and  soon  returned  with  his  family  to  Boston.  The  boys  on  these 
farms  had  little  spending  money;  all  they  earned  often  went  for  the 
purchase  of  clothes,  and  boots  and  shoes.  From  Thanksgiving  to 
Fast  day  they  often  kindled  the  kitchen  fire  for  a  cent  a  morning. 
During  the  winter  term  of  school  some  boy  took  care  of  the  district 
school  house  and  often  blew  the  church  organ  for  five  dollars  a  year. 
In  the  fields  they  picked  up  stones  after  the  ground  had  been  seeded 
down  in  the  spring;  in  the  winter  the  boys  shoveled  snow  on  the 
highway,  and  at  other  times  drove  ox-teams.  They  snared  the  part- 
ridge and  trapped  the  rabbit.  In  summer  the  boys  picked  the  farmers' 
peas  and  strawberries  and  later  gathered  quantities  of  berries  in 
field  and  highway.  In  the  fall  the  gathering  of  nuts  was  made  a  busi- 
ness, and  on  the  river  farms  the  boys  picked  cranberries  behind  the 
rake,  and  in  the  spring  gathered  "flood  cranberries,"  which  found  a 
ready  sale.     On  the  day  before  the  Fourth  of  July,  boys  gathered  pond 

76 


DOVER    FARMS 

lilies  by  the  hundreds,  which  they  sold  on  the  streets  of  Boston  the 
next  day,  and  afterwards  rode  to  their  hearts'  content  on  the  ferry 
boats  which  were  run  free  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  Boys  who  liked  to 
turn  a  penny  bought  fire-crackers  by  the  box  and  retailed  them  to  their 
companions.  In  the  fall  boys  sold  the  old  Farmer's  Almanac,  mak- 
ing a  house-to-house  canvass  of  the  town.  There  are  those  still  living 
who,  as  boys,  did  all  these  things  on  Dover  farms  entirely  independent 
of  the  ordinary  household  and  farm  work,  in  which  they  co-operated 
from  their  tenderest  years.  Boys  and  girls  had  to  invent  and  make 
their  own  playthings.  The  girls  made  dolls  with  a  corn  cob  for  their 
bodies.  The  boys  made  little  water  wheels  which  they  placed  in 
the  brooks.  They  also  made  pin  boxes  out  of  elder  wood,  and  in  the 
spring  they  made  willow  whistles  and  in  the  fall  trumpets  out  of  the 
stems  of  squash  leaves.  Skating  and  coasting  are  the  only  old-time 
sports  that  remain  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  to-day. — Thomas  L.  Smith. 

Henry  Rich  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  of  Jabez  Baker,  east  of 
Chestnut  street,  in  1871,  and  built  the  house  which  is  now  standing 
thereon.  Small  farmers  resorted  to  various  means  to  gain  a  livelihood. 
With  the  establishment  in  1875  of  the  "Country  Week"  as  a  depart- 
ment of  the  Boston  Young  Men's  Christian  Union,  Dover  homes  were 
opened  and  during  the  summer  received  parties  of  Boston  cash  boys 
for  a  ten  days'  vacation.  In  this  way  some  thirty  boys  were  enter- 
tained during  the  first  summer,  1875,  in  one  family.  Later  other 
homes  were  opened,  and  children  in  large  numbers  were  boarded  in 
town.  This  practice  was  followed  by  the  taking  of  children  as  per- 
manent boarders  from  Boston  institutions,  which  has  been  kept  up  in 
some  families  to  the  present  day.  About  1885  farmers  commenced  to 
take  city  boarders,  and  for  a  number  of  years  prominent  Boston  fam- 
ilies, including  college  professors  and  the  most  gifted  musicians,  spent 
their  summers  here,  immediately  recognizing  the  beauty  of  the  town 
and  its  great  natural  advantages. 

George  Chamberlain  of  Westwood  built  the  last  house  on  Dedham 
street,  going  east,  in  1896.  It  is  one  of  the  few  houses  for  rent  in 
Dover. 

77 


DOVER    FARMS 

MILL  STREET  extends  from  Willow  to  Dedham  street.  It 
furnishes  a  picturesque  walk  along  the  south  bank  of  Charles 
river.  Dedham  street,  with  which  it  is  connected  on  the  south,  was 
long  called  the  "Boston  road,"  because  most  of  the  travel  between 
Dover  and  Boston  was  over  this  road.  After  the  building  of  the 
Mill  dam  in  1828,  and  perhaps  earlier,  those  who  drove  into  Boston 
through  Roxbury  paid  toll.  The  writer  recalls  this  old  toll  road, 
which  was  the  last  one  in  the  vicinity.  Farmers  who  drove  over  this 
road  on  their  way  to  Boston  with  ship  timber,  charcoal,  wood  hoops, 
hay,  and  provisions,  found  that  city  a  century  ago  a  place  of  less  than 
25,000  population,  or  about  the  size  of  Gloucester  at  the  present  time. 
The  appearance  of  the  old  town  with  its  narrow,  crooked  streets, 
irregular  houses,  and  cultivated  gardens,  is  said  to  have  resembled 
the  Gloucester  of  to-day. 

•f.       4*       4* 

STRAWBERRY  HILL'^  STREET  extends  from  Dedham  street 
to  Wilsondale  street.  Land  on  this  hill  was  spoken  of  about 
the  year  1700,  as  "on  the  cart  road  to  Natick,"  and  in  1705  it  was 
called  a  highway.  There  was  a  road  or  path  at  a  very  early  time, 
which  extended  from  Strawberry  hill  to  Powisset,  where  the  Dedham 
settlers  turned  their  young  stock  and  dry  cows  for  pasturage.  Along 
this  road  the  barberry,  for  which  Dover  has  long  been  known,  grows 
very  common.  For  many  years  these  berries  were  gathered  with  great 
care  and  found  a  ready  sale  at  home  and  in  the  Boston  market.  While 
this  shrub  is  found  in  other  parts  of  the  town,  yet  it  grows  most 
abundantly  here.  The  barberry  is  not  indigenous  to  New  England, 
but  is  a  native  of  northern  Europe  and  also  of  China.  It  is  thought 
that  the  shrub  was  introduced  here  by  the  early  settlers.  There  is, 
however,  a  shrub  (Berberis  canadensis)  found  growing  wild  in  the 
states  of  the  middle  west,  the  berries  of  this  plant  appearing  singly 
instead  of  in  racemes.  The  barberry  is  not  associated  with  the  Indian, 
as  some  have  thought.  The  bark  and  root  of  the  Berberis  vulgaris 
have  been  used  in  medicine,  but  not  from  Indian  precedent.    Although 

•Spoken  of  in  a  grant  of  land  to  Nathaniel  Richards  in  1697  and  previously 
referred  to  In  1687. 

78 


m      -? 


o 


DOVER    FARMS 

in  the  settlement  of  the  town  "here  were  old  trees,  tall  oaks  and 
gnarled  pines,"  yet  it  was  not  as  difficult  in  the  early  time  to  clear  the 
fields  as  it  would  be  to-day.  The  growth  of  timber  was  heavy  and  the 
Indians  adopted  the  custom  of  annually  burning  the  land  over,  which 
practice  was  kept  up  by  the  Dedham  settlers;  committees  being 
appointed  by  the  town  for  this  purpose.  Having  felled  the  trees,  and 
a  little  later  disposed  of  them  by  fire,  the  land  yielded  easily  to  culti- 
vation. 

Richard  W.  Hale's  farm  was  the  THOMAS  RICHARDS  place. 
Members  of  the  Richards  family  were  early  owners  of  real  estate 
here.  Edward  Richards  gave  farms  to  his  sons,  Thomas  and  Josiah, 
both  of  which  were  located  on  Strawberry  hill.  Thomas  Richards 
settled  this  farm  in  1748,  and  the  place  continued  in  the  family  for 
more  than  a  century.  This  was  the  farm  of  Calvin  Richards,  who 
was,  for  many  years,  and  in  so  many  ways,  identified  with  the  best  in- 
terests of  Dover.  An  addition  was  made  to  this  house  a  few  years  since 
through  the  purchase  of  the  old  "Dunmore"  house  on  Baker  place, 
Milton  Lower  Mills.  This  house  was  built  in  1785,  torn  down,  and 
the  material  shipped  to  Dover,  where  it  was  re-erected  as  an  addition 
to  Mr.  Hale's  house  in  1910. — Calvin  Richards,  Jeremiah  Allen. 

Hubbard  C.  Packard's  place  was  the  RICHARD  RICHARDS 
farm,  which  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  estate  of  his  father,  Thomas 
Richards.  It  was  first  occupied  by  Richard  Richards,  a  Revolution- 
ary Soldier,  in  1780.  Before  the  establishment  of  seed  farms,  each 
farmer  grew  his  own  seeds  and  carefully  dried  and  packed  them  in 
the  "seed  box,"  which  was  always  kept  in  a  dry  place.  To  gather 
delicate,  thinly-covered,  vegetable  seeds  and  cure  them  under  unfavor- 
able climatic  conditions  was  no  easy  task,  yet  it  was  accomplished 
on  every  Dover  farm  year  after  year. — ^Luther  Richards,  Luther  Rich- 
ards, Jr.,  Arthur  F.  Dodge. 

Charles  S.  Bean's  house  was  built  by  EDMOND  SAWYER  in  1872, 
on  land  purchased  of  Calvin  Richards.  Mr.  Sawyer  was  an  organ 
manufacturer,  and  came  to  Dover  to  engage  in  that  business.     Mr. 

79 


DOVER    FARMS 

Beanos  house  illustrates  the  French  roof  type,  which  was  very  common 
a  half  century  ago;  several  houses  of  this  construction  were  built  in 
Dover  about  1870. 

ALPHONSO  DAVIS,  a  locomotive  engineer,  built  a  two  and  a  half 
story  house,  (which  was  one  of  the  pleasantest  houses  on  Strawberry 
hill)  west  of  Mr.  Bean's  house  in  1873.  The  house  was  burned  in 
1875,  and  the  spot  now  marks  an  abandoned  site. 

Richard  W.  Hale  owns  the  house  on  the  right;  it  was  originally 
a  glue  factory,  and  was  moved  to  its  present  site  in  the  early  sixties, 
and  converted  into  a  dwelling  house  by  PEREZ  L.  FEARING. 

.  JOSIAH  RICHARDS  settled  the  farm  until  recently  owned  by  the 
heirs  of  the  late  Miss  Mary  Bullard.  Here  Mr.  Richards  built  in 
1737.  Seven  of  his  sons  took  part  in  one  or  more  engagements  in  the 
Revolution,  for  they  "were  born  with  courage  in  their  hearts."  There 
was  great  joy  in  these  homes  when  peace  was  declared  in  the 
Revolution.  Life  had  been  hard.  It  is  recalled  in  some  places  that 
"the  women  ran  from  house  to  house  waving  their  aprons  and  crying 
for  joy."  It  seems  simple  enough  to-day,  but  it  was  something  else 
in  that  day  to  stand  by  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  sup- 
port the  war.  As  John  D.  Long  has  said,  "The  men  who  signed  the 
Declaration  knew  not  but  they  were  signing  warrants  for  their  own 
ignominious  execution  on  the  gibbet.  But  it  was  not  only  the  personal 
risk;  it  was  risking  the  home,  the  commerce,  the  lives,  the  prosperity, 
the  honor,  the  future  destiny  of  3,000,000  innocent  people,  men, 
women,  and  children.  It  was  defying  on  behalf  of  a  struggling  chain 
of  colonies,  clinging  to  the  seaboard,  the  most  imperial  power  of  the 
world."  It  was  in  this  important  work  that  almost  every  Dover  home 
had  its  part.  It  is  not  unusual  to  find  more  than  one  house  on  an 
early  farm.  Such  was  the  case  in  the  estate  of  Josiah  Richards,  who 
had  two  houses,  one  of  which,  "the  small  house,"  was  occupied  by  a 
son.  His  widow  was  given  by  his  will  the  best  room  in  the  "mansion 
house"  and  the  weaving  shop  adjoining  the  house.  The  first  school 
in  the  east  part  of  the  town  was  kept  in  a  building,  perhaps  the  weav- 

80 


DOVER    FARMS 

ing  shop,  which  stood  in  the  front  yard.  Asa  and  Abijah  Richards 
were  coopers  and  probably  carried  on  their  trade  here.  They  owned 
this  farm  at  different  times.  It  was  later  purchased  by  Nathaniel 
Wilson,  who  lived  here  for  many  years.  This  place  was  purchased 
a  few  years  since  by  John  Parkinson,  Jr.,  who  has  a  beautiful  estate. — 
Asa  Richards,  Solomon  Richards,  Michael  Gary. 

Humphrey  Clancy's  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Josiah  Rich- 
ards estate  and  was  separated  from  the  original  farm  in  1851.  Luther 
Richards  purchased  the  old  East  school-house,  when  it  was  sold  by  the 
district,  and  moved  it  to  this  site.  It  was  converted  into  a  dwelling 
house  by  MICHAEL  McLINE,  who  purchased  the  land  in  1863,  and 
was  used  as  such  for  many  years  The  present  house  was  built  by 
Mr.  Clancy  in  1900.  "The  small  house"  on  the  estate  of  JOSIAH 
RICHARDS  was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  beyond 
Humphrey  Clancy's,  where  the  ruins  of  the  cellar  can  still  be  seen  It 
was  occupied  by  Abijah  Richards  in  1780.  Samuel  Wilson,  Jr., 
John  Chickering  and  others  lived  here.  It  became  a  part  of  the 
original  farm  again  through  purchase  by  Nathaniel  Wilson  in  1821. 

SAMUEL  WILSON,  father  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  lived  opposite  his 
son's  house,  as  transfers  of  real  estate  show,  although  no  trace  of  a 
house  can  be  found  there  to-day.  Solomon  Richards  sold,  in  1792, 
to  Samuel  Wilson,  Jr.,  housewright,  four  acres  of  land,  bounded  as 
follows:  "beginning  at  the  southwesterly  corner  of  Samuel  Wilson's 
house  lot,"  etc.  In  case  of  a  failure  of  water  on  the  land,  Mr.  Wilson 
was  given  "full  liberty  to  pass  with  cattle  to  a  spring  of  water  near 
the  northwest  comer  of  said  land."  The  spring  referred  to  is  found 
in  the  next  field  at  the  west,  which  definitely  locates  Samuel  Wilson's 
house  lot. 

O  home,  so  desolate  and  lorn, 

Did  all  thy  memories  die  with  thee? 

Were  any  wed,  were  any  bom. 
Beneath  this  low  roof -tree  ? 


DOVER    FARMS 

Whose  axe  the  wall  of  forest  broke, 
And  let  the  waiting  sunshine  through? 

What  good  wife  sent  the  earliest  smoke 
Up  the  great  chimney  flue? 

Did  rustic  lovers  hither  come? 

Did  maidens,  swaying  back  and  forth 
In  rhythmic  grace,  at  wheel  and  loom, 

Make  light  their  toil  with  mirth  ? 

Did  child  feet  patter  on  the  stairs  ? 

Did  boyhood  frolic  in  the  snow  ? 
Did  gray  age,  in  her  elbow  chair, 

Knit,  rocking  to  and  fro? 

The  murmuring  brook,  the  sighing  breeze. 
The  pine's  slow  whisper  cannot  tell, 

Low  mounds  beneath  the  hemlock  trees 
Keep  the  home  secrets  well. 

— Whittier. 

COL.  EBENEZER  BATTELLE'S  house  was  reached  by  continu- 
ing on  the  cart  road,  from  the  end  of  the  town  road  to  land  of  the 
late  George  D.  Everett,  where  the  cellar  hole  can  still  be  seen.  Some 
time  between  1727  and  1735,  Ebenezer  Battelle  bought  this  tract  of 
land,  which  belonged  to  Nathaniel  Richards,  and  built  a  house.  He 
sold  the  farm  in  1772  to  Moses  Richards.  Col.  Battelle  was  prom- 
inent in  all  town  affairs  leading  up  to  the  Revolution.  He  served  on 
many  committees  and  his  name  appears  on  the  stone  base  of  the 
"Pillar  of  Liberty"  erected  to  William  Pitt,  which  stands  on  the 
Dedham  Church  green.  The  house  on  this  farm,  like  many  others  in 
town,  was  consumed  by  fire.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  danger 
of  fire  was  ever  present  and  always  distressing  wherever  frame  build- 
ings were  found.  In  the  early  time  all  chimneys  had  to  be  swept  once 
a  month  in  winter  and  once  in  two  months  in  summer.  Simple  pre- 
cautions were  always  taken  and  in  every  household  before  retiring 

82 


DOVER    FARMS 

for  the  night  a  bucket  of  water  was  left  in  the  kitchen  to  be  at  hand 
in  case  of  accident.  Probably  no  buildings  were  insured  against  fire 
before  the  year  1800.  In  1798  the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company  was  formed,  but  the  rates  were  so  high  in  the 
shape  of  premiums  and  deposits  that  insurance  among  farmers  was 
almost  prohibitory.  This  company  issued  seven-year  policies  at 
fifty-five  cents  per  hundred  on  single  wooden  buildings.  It  was 
customary  to  raise  money  by  subscriptions  for  the  partial  relief  of 
sufferers;  this  practice  continued  until  about  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war.  One  of  the  last  subscriptions,  which  was  a  most  generous  one, 
was  raised  when  Alonzo  Wentworth  of  Bridge  street  lost  his  barn  by 
fire  in  1867.  The  story  is  still  told  of  a  witch  who  visited  this  house 
one  day,  and  told  the  inmates  about  the  cooking  of  a  piece  of  pork 
which  was  "found  to  be  browned  to  a  crust  on  the  outside  and  frozen 
inside."  As  this  feat  in  cooking  was  actually  accomplished  here  with 
the  old-fashioned  fireplace,  it  was  received  as  a  sure  proof  that  the 
person  was  a  witch. — Moses  Richards. 

THOMAS  LARRABEE'S  home  is  marked  by  a  picturesque,  though 
deserted  house.*  This  place  was  first  occupied  by  Mr.  Larrabee 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  house  was  raised  by 
his  Revolutionary  comrades,  who  turned  out  to  help  him  build  it  in 
1778.  The  men  of  Strawberry  hill  were  unmistakably  patriots,  as  no' 
less  than  twenty  farmers  took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  War  from  this 
locality  alone.  Here  Deacon  Joseph  Larrabee  lived  and  willed  this 
little  property  to  the  inhabitants  of  Dover  to  aid  in  the  support  of  the 
worthy  poor.  Joseph  Larrabee  used  to  speak  of  a  service  which  he 
attended  in  December,  1799,  in  the  Meeting  house  at  South  Natick, 
in  memory  of  General  Washington.  The  draping  of  the  pulpit  in 
black  greatly  impressed  him,  as  he  had  never  before  seen  anything  of 
the  kind.  Washington's  death  was  not  generally  noticed  in  this 
vicinity,  but  the  fact  that  he  once  visited  South  Natick  may  have 
prompted  this  observance.     It  was  fitting  that  Mr.  Larrabee  should 


'Removed  in  1910. 

83 


DOVER    FARMS 

have  been  present  at  this  service,  as  his  father,  Thomas  Larrabee, 
was  a  member  of  Washington's  Life  Guard  in  the  Continental  Army. 
The  executor  of  the  will  of  Mr.  Larrabee,  who  provided  for  a 
slate  stone  for  his  grave,  found  great  difficulty  in  procuring  one,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  as  they  had  so  completely  passed  out  of  use. 
At  first  field  stones  were  set  up  to  mark  the  graves  of  early  settlers, 
followed  by  slate,  which  gave  place  to  marble,  which  in  time  has 
been  succeeded  by  granite  in  a  variety  of  shades  and  designs. 

STEPHEN  GAY,  who  served  in  the  Continental  Army,  had  his 
little  farm  here  which,  after  his  death  in  1778,  was  absorbed  by  the 
Larrabee  estate.  The  Balm  of  Gilead  trees  (planted  before  the 
Revolution)  which  grow  around  the  ruins  of  his  dwelling,  still 
flourish,  and  number  at  present  more  than  fifty.  From  these  trees, 
residents  of  Strawberry  hill  have  gathered  for  many  years  the  aromatic 
and  fragrant  buds  for  their  "Balm  of  Gilead  bottle,"  a  panacea  for 
all  cuts  and  wounds.  Previous  to  1818,  when  the  McLean  Asylum 
was  opened  there  was  no  public  hospital  in  this  country  for  the 
care  of  the  insane.  As  late  as  1845  many  insane  persons  were  con- 
fined in  the  almshouses  and  jails  of  the  commonwealth.  At  that 
time  there  were  men  who  had  been  chained  for  twenty  years  in  out- 
buildings, sleeping  on  straw,  while  young  women  fared  no  better.  On 
some  of  these  old  Dover  farms  insane  persons,  whose  names  need  not 
be  given,  were  confined  for  years  until  death  gave  them  a  release. 

The  JAKE  place,  where  the  cellar  is  still  well  stoned  and  holds 
its  shape,  is  reached  by  continuing  at  the  right,  from  the  end  of 
Strawberry  hill  street.  Jake  was  a  colored  man  who  married  a  white 
woman.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Strawberry  hill.  Objections  having 
been  made  by  her  family  to  a  marriage  with  the  man  of  her  choice, 
she  declared  in  a  fit  of  anger  that  she  would  marry  the  first  man  who 
offered  himself.  Jake,  hearing  of  this  rash  vow,  proposed  marriage, 
and  was  accepted. 

SAMUEL  WILSON,  who  married  Hannah  Ingraham,  had  a  home 
still  further  south,  in  the  open  field,  where  he  settled  in  1781.     He 

84 


DOVER    FARMS 

sold  the  farm  in  1791  to  John  Jepson,  a  shoemaker,  who,  on  his  low 
bench  with  lapstone,  awl  and  waxed  ends,  made  and  repaired  the 
farmers'  shoes.  An  Indian  war  club  or  stone  hatchet,  which  was 
picked  up  on  this  farm,  is  still  recalled,  on  which  Mr.  Jepson  sharp- 
ende  his  awls  for  many  years.  The  relic  was  later  in  the  hands  of 
Joseph  Larrabee.  The  farm  has  long  since  been  abandoned,  and 
the  only  reference  to  the  Jepson  family  is  now  found  in  the  records 
of  the  town.  Old  residents  used  to  say  that  there  was  once  a  little 
burying  ground  south  of  the  Jepson  place,  where  some  of  the  first 
settlers  were  buried,  but  recent  search  has  revealed  no  stones  or 
mounds.  On  some  of  these  old  farms  there  was  the  employment  of 
mildly  insane  and  feeble-minded  persons,  together  with  the  services  of 
the  town's  poor,  who  were  knocked  off  to  the  lowest  bidder  at  the 
annual  town  meeting.  There  was  also  the  little  bundle  man  who 
traveled  through  the  town  for  some  years  to  the  terror  of  young  chil- 
dren. He  was  loaded  with  innumerable  small  bundles,  too  numerous 
to  be  carried  all  at  one  time,  and  so  he  left  them  by  the  roadside  to  be 
returned  for  when  relieved  of  his  burden  further  on.  Thus  it  took 
him  all  day  to  cover  a  few  miles,  and  at  night  he  slept  in  any  bam 
where  darkness  overtook  him. 


WILSONDALE  STREET  extends  from  Strawberry  hill 
street  eastward  to  the  Dedham  line.  It  is  a  road  of  great 
interest,  as  on  it  was  located  the  first  settlement  in  Dover.  The  records 
relating  to  roads  are  very  scanty.  The  Legislature  passed  a  resolve 
in  1894,  requiring  all  towns  to  issue  maps.  The  plan*  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Dover  made  under  this  law  and  deposited  in  the  archives  at 
the  State  House,  throws  but  little  light  on  the  subject,  as  only  the 
main  thoroughfare  is  laid  down.  At  first  there  were  Indian  trails 
across  the  town,  followed  by  bridle  paths,  which  were  later  developed 
into  farm  ways,  followed  in  due  time  by  the  highways  as  they  exist 
to-day;    such  in  brief,  is  the  evolution  of  Dover  roads.     Wilsondale 

•Reproduced  in  "The  Founders  of  the  First  Parish,"  published  in  1908  by 
the  Dover  First  Parish  Church. 

85 


DOVER    FARMS 

street  furnishes  a  picturesque  drive,  under  the  shadow  of  large  rocks 
and  bending  trees,  over  hills  and  through  valleys,  which  have  been 
trodden  by  the  foot  of  man  for  many  centuries,  and  inhabited  by  the 
white  man  for  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  When  we 
compare  the  date  of  settlement,  with  the  growth  and  development  of 
the  United  States,  we  realize  the  place  which  the  Old  Colony  occupies 
in  the  history  of  our  country. 

Joshua  L.  Woodward  now  owns  the  original  Baker  settlement, 
which  was  the  home  of  Jabez  Baker  in  1775.  This  farm  was  settled 
in  1735,  and  was  first  owned  by  DANIEL  BOYDEN  of  Dedham, 
who  sold  it  to  Ebenezer  Newell  in  1738.  The  employment  of  farm 
labor  has  always  been  an  interesting  and  perplexing  question.  In 
the  development  of  the  town,  and  in  the  clearing  of  farms,  the  labor 
was  at  first  largely  performed  by  the  settlers  themselves,  aided  by 
neighborhood  help.  When  the  farmer,  axe  in  hand,  laid  warfare 
to  the  giant  trees  and  laid  bare  acre  after  acre  of  the  virgin  soil,  there 
was  a  logging  bee  for  the  piling  of  the  logs  in  the  clearing.  When 
there  was  a  new  house  or  barn  to  be  put  up  the  neighbors  came  to 
do  the  raising,  and  when  a  building  was  to  be  moved  from  one  site  to 
another,  the  farmers  turned  out  with  half  the  oxen  of  the  township 
to  do  the  moving.  Again  the  whole  community  gathered  when  a  sick 
neighbor's  crops  needed  to  be  harvested  and  carefully  stored  them  in 
bam  or  cellar.  The  busy  housewife  in  her  turn  had  the  quilting 
party,  and  in  the  fall  came  the  husking  bee,  which  was  given  more 
for  sociability  than  for  profit. — Charles  Draper,  Clement  Bartlett, 
John  Clancy. 

John  A.  Sullivan's  farm,  just  off  from  Wilsondale  street,  was 
originally  the  DAVID  FULLER  place,  and  the  land  was  long  in  the 
Fuller  family.  It  was  settled  in  1755,  at  which  time  the  present 
house  was  built,  Mrs.  Arnold  Wight  who  lived  here  represented  a 
class  of  women  now  wholly  extinct,  who  went  out  nursing.  She 
cared  for  many  a  Dover  mother  and  at  the  same  time  did  all  the  house- 
work and  cared  for  the  new-born  baby,  as  well  as  the  other  children 
in  the  home  she  had  entered.     In  her  day,  Mrs.  Wight  brought  peace 

86 


DOVER    FARMS 

and  tranquility  to  many  a  farmer's  home.  In  cases  of  fever  and 
long  illnesses  the  neighbors  took  turns  in  "watching"  in  the  sick  room. 
They  often  showed  their  good  will  by  preparing  "barberry  water"  to 
slacken  the  thirst  of  the  fevered  patient.  No  finer  spirit  of  brotherly 
kindness  could  be  found  than  that  which  was  exhibited  here  for  a 
century  and  a  half,  among  the  plain  people  of  this  town.  A  hundred 
of  Theodore  Parker's  Miss  Kindly  have  lived  in  Dover  homes.  Her 
hands  are  thin,  her  voice  feeble;  her  back  is  bent;  she  walks  with 
a  staff — the  best  limb  of  the  three.  She  wears  a  cap  of  antique  pat- 
tern, yet  of  her  own  nice  make.  She  has  great,  round  spectacles, 
and  holds  her  book  away  off  the  other  side  of  the  candle  when  she 
reads.  For  more  than  sixty  years  she  has  been  a  special  providence 
to  the  family.  How  she  used  to  go  forth — the  very  charity  of  God — 
to  soothe  and  heal  and  bless.  How  industrious  are  her  hands!  how 
thoughtful  and  witty  that  fertile  mind.  Her  heart  has  gathered  power 
to  love,  in  all  the  eighty-six  years  of  her  toilsome  life.  When  the 
birth  angel  came  to  a  related  house  she  was  there  to  be  the  mother's 
mother;  aye,  mother  also  to  the  new-born  baby's  soul.  And  when  the 
wings  of  death  flapped  in  the  street,  and  shook  a  neighbor's  door,  she 
smoothed  down  the  pillow  for  the  fainting  head;  she  soothed  and 
cheered  the  spirit  of  the  waiting  man,  opening  the  curtains  of  heaven 
that  he  might  look  through  and  see  the  welcoming  face  of  the  dear 
Infinite  Mother;  nay,  she  put  the  wings  of  her  strong,  experienced 
piety  under  him  and  sought  to  bear  him  up. — Arnold  Wight,  Cornelius 
Sullivan. 

Richard  H.  Bond  occupies  the  original  Wilson  farm.  HENRY 
WILSON  and  Samuel  Bullen  of  Dedham  had  land  granted  to  them 
in  June,  1640,  "in  ye  corner  beneath  and  next  unto  Mr.  De  Enganes, 
the  lot  to  be  divided  between  them."  A  memoranda  appears,  that 
"Henry  Wilson  is  content  to  lay  downe  this  grant  if  he  may  be  pro- 
vided for  elsewhere."  This  indicates  that  he  had  an  eye  to  another  lot. 
In  September,  1640,  it  was  recorded  that  Edward  AUyn  had  given 
Henry  Wilson  a  small  piece  of  land  "to  sett  an  house  upon  beyond 
ye  lotte  of  William  Bullard  toward  the  north."  He  was  also  granted 
by  Mr.  AUyn  six  acres  more  for  "planting  ground  beyond  Vine  brook." 

87 


DOVER    FARMS 

Whether  Mr.  Wilson  built  on  either  of  these  lots  we  are  not  informed, 
but  it  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  he  settled  on  the  Dover  farm 
when  he  built  his  first  house  in  Dedham  in  1640.  There  was  a  grant 
of  land  in  1687  at  "high  rock"  near  the  house  of  Henry  Wilson.  This 
grant  locates  his  house  at  that  time  on  the  present  Wilson  farm. 
"High  Rock,"  in  the  westerly  part  of  Westwood,  is  not  far  distant  from 
the  Wilson  farm,  and  has  been  known  by  that  name  from  time 
immemorial. 

What  was  the  life  on  this  first  settled  farm?  The  house  was  of 
logs  with  two  rooms,  one  a  living-room  and  the  other  a  sleeping 
room.  As  the  children  grew  in  years  and  increased  in  numbers  they 
found  a  sleeping  place  under  the  eaves  which  was  reached  by  a  ladder 
from  the  puncheon  floor  beneath.  In  time  there  was  live  stock  on 
this  farm.  It  did  not,  however,  increase  rapidly,  as  the  settlers  could 
not  house  their  stock  in  the  winter.  In  feeding  cattle  there  was  no 
way  of  cutting  hay  except  by  the  sickle;  scythes  were  not  invented 
until  1655,  and  were  some  years  in  coming  into  use.  The  ground  was 
dug  up  with  the  hoe,  until  there  were  oxen  to  drag  the  wooden  plow; 
iron  plows  did  not  come  into  use  for  many  years  afterwards,  as  farmers 
in  all  civilized  countries,  believed  that  iron  plows  would  poison  the 
soil.  Many  years  after  the  invention  of  the  scythe  the  cradle  came 
into  use,  but  then  only  small  fields  of  grain  could  be  grown.  One 
who  had  used  this  implement  wrote,  "To  swing  a  cradle  against  a 
field  of  grain  under  a  hot  summer  sun  was  of  all  farm  drudgeries  the 
severest."  Com,  beans,  pumpkins,  and  turnips  were  grown  in  the 
garden,  and  rye  and  barley  in  the  field,  which  was  threshed  with  the 
hand  flail  and  winnowed  by  the  autumn  breeze;  the  same  rude  hand- 
labor  tools  were  used  that  the  nations  of  antiquity  had  farmed  with. 
Bears  were  numerous  and  were  trapped,  as  well  as  rabbits  and  part- 
ridges. The  fur  of  animals  was  hung  up  in  the  log  house  to  keep  out 
the  blasts  of  zero  weather. 

Flax  was  grown  from  the  first  and  was  tended,  after  the  first 
planting,  by  the  busy  housewife.  The  living  room  was  a  little  fac- 
tory where  the  linen  and  wool  yam  was  spun,  the  candles  dipped,  the 
soap  boiled,  the  cheese  made,  the  shoes  cobbled,  and  the  homespun 
dyed  and  fashioned  into  clothes  for  the  whole  family.    From  woolen 

88 


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Clay  Brook  Road 


DOVilR    FARMS 

yam,  stockings,  mittens,  and  caps  were  knitted.  The  farm  tools  were 
so  simple  as  to  be  made  by  Mr.  Wilson  himself  or  by  the  village 
blacksmith.  This  was  the  age  of  the  tinder-box  and  the  tallow 
candle;  there  were  no  cooking  ovens  or  friction  matches.  Mrs.  Wil- 
son "knew  the  profession  of  housekeeping  in  all  its  old-fashioned 
complexity,  as  she  worked  at  it  from  dawn  to  starlight,  with  no  rest 
except  the  relief  of  flitting  from  one  task  to  another."  In  sickness 
there  was  no  doctor,  as  there  was  no  knowledge  of  medicine  except 
"a  medley  of  drastic  measures  which  were  apt  to  be  as  dangerous  as 
the  disease."  This  farm  has  never  been  out  of  the  ownership  of  lineal 
descendants  of  Henry  Wilson  since  its  settlement  to  the  present  time. 
— Ephraim  Wilson,  Nathaniel  Wilson,  Ephraim  Wilson,  Ephraim 

Wilson. 

•2*       4*       4. 

CLAY  BROOK  road  is  one  of  the  oldest  streets  in  town.  It  was 
at  first  called  Natick  path  (1666),  and  later  "the  Indian  path 
from  Natick  to  Dedham"  (1669),  and  was  referred  to  as  the  Clay 
Brook  road  in  1728.  It  extends  from  Center  street  near  Fisher's 
bridge  to  the  Natick  line.  It  was  over  this  road  that  the  Apostle  Eliot 
frequently  rode  in  carrying  on  his  work  of  superintending  the  Indian 
mission  at  Natick.  This  road  furnishes,  independent  of  its  historical 
associations,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  drives  to  be  found  in  the 
Metropolitan  District  of  Boston. 

HOMER  PIERCE  built  for  his  farm  help  in  1890,  the  house  on 
the  left  near  the  Natick  line,  now  owned  by  Granville  Colburn. 

John  Bacon  had  an  early  grant  of  land  at  the  extreme  northwest 
part  of  Dedham  on  Charles  river,  where  he  settled  in  1683.  This  land 
was  later  occupied  by  his  descendants.  There  were  two  houses  on  the 
farm  in  1784,  one  of  which  was  probably  the  original  home  of  JOHN 
BACON,  which  was  long  since  removed.  In  1728-9  his  two  sons, 
John  and  Michael,  received  deeds  from  their  father  of  the  land  sur- 
rounding their  dwelling  houses,  bounded  west  by  Natick  line.  Michael 
settled  on  his  father's  farm.  Here  was  located  a  cider-mill,  which 
dates  back  more  than  a  century,  and  may  have  been  first  used  by  the 

89 


DOVER    FARMS 

original  settler;  at  any  rate,  it  was  on  the  farm  in  1784. — Ephraim 
Bacon,  Ephraim  Bacon,  Jr.,  Samuel  Perry,  Lowell  Perry,  Jonathan 
Perry. 

CALVIN  H.  SAWIN'S  house,  now  owned  by  William  E.  Smith, 
was  built  by  Mr.  Sawin  in  1847,  and  was  a  part  of  the  original  Bacon 
estate.  Mr.  Sawin  was  a  carpenter  and  did  much  work  in  Natick  and 
surrounding  towns. 

N.  D.  Marr's  house  was  built  by  WARREN  SAWIN  in  1848.  It 
was  a  part  of  the  Michael  Bacon  farm.  On  this  place  there  is  a 
cider-mill  in  operation,  which  is  now  the  only  one  in  town. — Frank  M. 
Sawin. 

Benjamin  N.  Sawin*s  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  the  John  Bacon, 
Jr.,  estate.  After  the  farm  passed  out  of  the  Bacon  family,  it  was 
divided.  THOMAS  SAWIN  bought  the  west  half,  and  Capt. 
Charles  Morse  the  east  half.  In  1858,  the  old  house  was  removed 
and  new  houses  were  built  on  both  farms.  Benjamin  N.  Sawin  had 
for  many  years,  in  connection  with  his  farm  a  picnic  ground  on 
Charles  river.  This  was  a  popular  resort,  and  lagely  patronized  by 
the  residents  of  the  surrounding  country.  It  is  now  no  longer  used 
for  picnic  purposes.  It  was  through  the  bequests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sawin  that  the  Sawin  Memorial  Building  on  Dedham  street, — the 
home  of  the  Dover  Historical  and  Natural  History  Society — was 
erected.  This  society  was  organzed  in  1895,  largely  through  the 
concerted  efforts  of  Ansel  K.  Tisdale,  George  L.  Howe,  and  Mrs.  Amy 
H.  Higgins.  Both  Mr.  Tisdale  and  Mr.  Howe  became  respectively 
Presidents  of  the  Society. 

E.  T.  Phillips'  place  was  originally  the  east  half  of  John  Bacon, 
Jr.'s  farm,  which  was  first  settled  in  1716.  CAPT.  CHARLES 
MORSE  built  the  present  house  in  1858.  Francis  Gay  bought  this 
farm,  when  only  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  here  reared  his  family. 
The  farmer  who  laid  stone-walls  by  moonlight  had  not  been  taught 
to  play;   he  found  out-of-door  amusement  in  fishing,  trapping,  hunt- 

90 


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DOVER    FARMS 

ing,  and  in  story-telling  at  the  tavern  or  the  country  store.  It  was 
recreation  to  go  to  the  muster,  attend  on  training  days,  auctions  and 
Fourth-of-July  celebrations,  while  "raising  bees"  and  "planting  bees" 
as  they  came  along  helped  to  break  the  monotony  of  farm  life.  Work 
on  the  highway  was  not  unwelcome,  while  the  breaking  out  of  the 
roads  when  piled  high  with  snow  in  winter  was  a  real  pleasure.  In- 
door games  of  cards  and  "fox  and  geese"  were  indulged  in  from 
Thanksgiving  to  Fast  Day,  but  were  never  touched  after  the  latter 
date  in  many  families.  No  games  were  played  on  Saturday  evening, 
as  it  was  too  near  Sunday.  The  influence  of  the  old  custom  of  begin- 
ning Sunday  at  3  o'clock  on  Saturday  afternoon  was  felt  long  after 
the  custom  had  been  given  up. 

ANDREW  DEWING  was  an  early  settler  on  the  Clay  Brook  road. 
His  house  is  spoken  of  in  the  Dedham  Proprietors'  Records,  in  1669, 
as  "being  on  the  south  side  of  Charles  river  within  a  turn  of  the  said 
river,  and  adjoining  to  the  place  where  ye  great  brook  enters  Charles 
river."  Mr.  Dewing  later  lived  in  Needham  and  built,  as  it  is 
believed,  a  garrison  house  in  that  part  of  the  town,  which  later  became 
Wellesley.  This  farm  was  later  owned  by  Thomas  Battelle,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  west  of  Strawberry  hill.  In  1692  the  records 
speak  of  Thomas  Battelle's  "old  field"  next  to  Charles  river.  The 
following  appears  in  the  town  records  in  1679,  "Granted  timber  to 
Tho.  Battele  neare  Naticke  for  a  hundred  roods  of  2  or  3  rayle  fence." 
Thomas  Battelle  came  to  Dedham  about  1850.  He  built  a  house 
which  is  said  to  have  been  on  Lowder  street,  (Dedham),  which  was 
for  many  years  in  the  family.  He  is  believed  to  have  returned  to 
Dedham  center  after  giving  his  Dover  farm  to  his  son,  Jonathan, 
who  in  turn  sold  it,  in  1725-6,  to  Nathaniel  Battelle.  It  then  con- 
sisted of  23  acres  of  land.  Although  the  farm  has  long  since  been 
abandoned,  the  cellar-hole  can  still  be  seen  east  of  the  Sawin  picnic 
grounds.  Colonial  houses  were  always  set  low,  almost  on  the  ground, 
and  were  banked  high  with  earth  as  winter  approached  to  protect  the 
vegetables  in  the  cellar  and  to  add  to  the  warmth  of  the  houses.  Stakes 
were  driven  about  two  feet  from  the  building,  boards  set  up  and  the 
space  filled  in  with  earth.    Boys  were  taught  habits  of  thoughtfulness 

91 


DOVER    FARMS 

and  care-taking  in  sodding  the  top  of  the  banking  that  the  walls  of  the 
house  might  be  protected  from  the  earth.  The  Battelles  owned  a 
stretch  of  land  which  extended  from  Charles  river,  near  Trout  brook, 
south  to  Springdale  avenue. 

David  M.  Smith  occupied  a  farm  which  was  settled  by  ROBERT 
STEARNS,  who  built  a  house  thereon  in  1855,  which  was  burned  in 
1891.  Mr.  Smith  rebuilt  the  house  in  1897  and  added  a  greenhouse, 
both  of  which  were  later  burned.  This  spot  now  marks  an  abandoned 
home. 

John  Myer's  place*  was  a  part  of  Jonathan  Perry's  farm,  and  was 
first  occupied  about  forty  years  ago.  Like  all  other  places  on  the  Clay 
brook  road,  this  little  estate  is  of  interest  as  this  section  of  the  town 
was  so  early  visited  by  the  Dedham  settlers.  For  many  years  large 
quantities  of  white  oak  were  cut  on  Dover  farms.  Since  the  advent 
of  the  automobile,  in  which  the  use  of  oak  enters  very  largely,  espe- 
cially for  spokes  of  wheels,  there  has  been  an  immense  inroad  upon  real 
white  oak  throughout  the  country,  and  as  an  article  of  timber  it  is  now 
very  scarce.  Much  timber  of  a  heavy  growth  was  annually  cut  off 
and  sawed  into  boards  and  plank  at  the  nearest  saw  mill.  So  farmers 
always  had  a  plenty  of  dry  timber  at  hand  for  all  farm  purposes. 

R.  M.  Tappan's  farm  houses,  the  older  of  which  was  once  a 
cooper's  shop,  was  converted  into  a  dwelling  house  by  PEREZ  L. 
FEARING,  while  the  other  house  was  built  by  THOMAS  H. 
JOLLIFFE  some  twenty  years  ago.  The  trees  in  the  orchard  on  this 
farm  were  grown  in  the  nursery  of  William  Tisdale  on  Hartford 
street,  who  about  1835  established  a  nursery  where  he  grew  fruit  trees 
which,  for  many  years,  supplied  the  needs  of  the  country  round. 
Henry  Goulding  also  had  a  nursery  on  Smith  street.  In  the  early 
settlement  of  New  England,  fruit  trees  were  brought  from  England, 


•Several  little  houses  for  summer  occupancy  have  been  built  on  the  Clay 
Brook  road  In  recent  years  which  do  not  call  for  location  or  description  in 
these  pages.  Vacations  were  unknown  before  1870  and  summer  outings 
unthought-of  twenty-five  years  ago. 

92 


DOVER    FARMS 

but  as  they  did  not  flourish,  the  experiment  was  tried  of  bringing  the 
seed  over  for  planting;  this  practice  was  more  successful,  and  soon 
flourishing  orchards  were  found  which  were  greatly  appreciated  by  the 
English  settlers,  as  well  as  coveted  by  the  Indians.  Trees  are  still 
standing,  which  are  said  to  have  been  grown  from  seed  brought  over 
from  England.  Many  native  apple  trees  were  grafted  to  the  Baldwin, 
Porter,  Russet,  and  other  popular  varieties.  Men  especially  skilled 
in  the  art  of  grafting,  did  in  the  spring  of  the  year  much  grafting  of 
fruit  trees  for  the  townspeople.  Joseph  A.  Smith  and  William  Tis- 
dale  are  especially  remembered  as  being  extensively  employed  to  do 
this  kind  of  work  in  Dover  and  surrounding  towns.  The  wood  of 
fruit  trees  was  utilized;  that  of  the  pear  tree  being  used  for  wood 
engraving,  and  that  of  the  apple  tree  for  all  kinds  of  small  knife- 
handles.    These  woods  found  a  ready  sale. 

4*       4*       4" 

DOVER  STREET  extends  from  Baker's  bridge  to  Natick  line. 
The  Needham  school  land,*  north  of  this  street,  is  of  interest 
as  illustrating  a  custom  of  an  early  time.  Soon  after  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  town  of  Needham,  Timothy  Dwight  of  Dedham  gave  the 
town  forty  acres  of  land,  in  what  is  now  Dover,  for  the  benefit  of  a 
school.  Mr.  Dwight  did  not  complete  the  gift  before  his  death,  but 
a  title  was  subsequently  obtained  by  the  town  from  his  sons.  While 
the  income  was  always  small,  and  furnished  but  little  aid  in  the  support 
of  a  school,  yet  it  is  interesting  to  still  locate  the  "Needham  school  land" 
of  nearly  two  centuries  ago.  The  Dedham  settlers  laid  out  in  1659  a 
dividend  of  com  land,t  which  was  largely  located  in  the  present  terri- 
tory of  Wellesley,  but  included  the  estate  of  the  late  Benjamin  P. 
Cheney  and  the  Needham  school  lands. 

Benjamin  P.  Cheney's  estate  in  its  settlement  was  the  home  of 
JOHN  JONES,  JR.  The  estate  has  been  added  to  from  time  to  time, 
and  now  contains  some  two  hundred  acres,  which,  with  its  lawn  and 
roads,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  estates  in  eastern  Massachusetts. 

•Since  added  to  the  Cheney  estate. 

tHorace  Mann's  Third  Field  Day  paper  of  South  Natick  Historical  Society. 

93 


DOVER    FARMS 

The  first  purchase  was  made  of  Hezekiah  Fuller  in  1740,  by  John 
Jones,  Jr.,  of  Weston.  In  the  transfer  the  land  is  described  as  fol- 
lows: "A  tract  of  land  lying  on  a  neck  of  Charles  river,  in  the 
northerly  part  of  Needham,  near  Natick,  containing  seventy-two  acres 
and  twenty- four  rods."  There  was  an  error  in  location,  as  the  bounds 
of  Needham  never  extended  across  Charles  river  on  the  south.  The 
original  bounds  of  Dover,  established  in  1729,  took  in  all  the  land 
and  inhabitants  west  of  the  present  Westwood  line.  Here  Mr.  Jones 
built  his  house  and  reared  his  family.  The  farm  houses  on  this  estate 
were  built  within  recent  years  by  Mr.  Cheney.  The  estate  is  now 
owned  by  William  H.  Baltzell,  who  has  erected  a  beautiful  house  and 
otherwise  improved  the  grounds.  Here  Colonel  Jones  heard  petty 
court  cases  in  the  colonial  days.  He  was  a  magistrate  under  King 
George  III,  and  when  he  was  suspected  of  favoring  the  King  in  the 
trying  days  before  the  Revolution,  the  Sons  of  Liberty  in  the  vicinity 
waited  on  him  and  under  the  spreading  elm  trees,  still  standing  on 
this  estate,  he  gave  up  his  commission,  and  in  after  years  was  a  loyal 
supporter  of  the  new  government. — Adam  Jones,  Israel  Loring. 

MRS.  BETSY  HART,  wife  of  William  Hart,  bought  in  1858,  a 
piece  of  land  of  Elijah  Perry,  and  built  a  house  thereon,  which  was 
located  near  the  entrance  to  the  Cheney  estate.  This  house  was  occu- 
pied by  various  families  until  purchased  and  removed  by  Benjamin  P. 
Cheney  in  1880. 


HAVEN  STREET  extends  from  Main  to  Dedham  street,  and 
was  named  for  the  Havens,  who  were  prominent  in  the  parish 
a  hundred  years  ago.  This  street  forms  a  part  of  the  layout  which 
was  made  in  1687,  for  a  road  "over  the  Great  Brook,  near  Natick, 
toward  Pegan  hill."  This,  as  a  part  of  one  of  the  old  roads  of  the 
town,  was  much  used  before  the  building  of  Springdale  avenue.  It 
was  a  fine  example  of  one  of  the  old-time  "winding  streets,"  before 
the  attempt  was  made  to  straighten  it  some  thirty  years  ago. 
The  first  school-house  was  located  on  Haven  street.     In  this  school 

94 


DOVER    FARMS 

house  were  held  all  early  public  meetings,  and  we  can  easily  imagine 
the  farmers  coming  on  horseback  from  all  parts  of  the  parish  to  attend 
these  gatherings,  clad  in  homespun,  which  their  wives  had  dressed  on 
hand  machines  and  dyed  in  home-made  vats.  The  school-houses  at 
the  center  of  the  town  have  had  various  locations.  The  second 
school-house  (built  in  1763),  occupied  a  site  on  the  present  grounds 
of  the  First  Parish,  on  the  north  side  of  Springdale  avenue,  near  the 
railroad  station.  When  the  new  meeting-house  was  built  in  1811, 
the  top  of  the  hill — with  its  accumulated  soil — was  graded  off  and 
scraped  into  the  cellar  of  the  school-house  which  had  been  moved  to 
the  Common.  The  removal  of  the  loam  has  made  the  grounds  of  the 
First  Parish  sandy,  and  difficult  on  which  to  grow  grass  or  trees. 
Later,  the  school-house  was  sold,  and  a  new  one  built  on  the  south 
side  of  Springdale  avenue  east  of  the  Evangelical  Congregational 
church.  About  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  railroad,  this  school- 
house  was  moved  to  the  Common,  where  in  after  years  it  had  several 
locations  until  the  present  site  of  the  Sanger  school-house  was  settled 
in  1873.  In  view  of  the  coming  railroad,  real  estate  owners  asked 
such  fabulous  prices  for  their  land  that  a  site  could  not  be  agreed 
upon  outside  of  the  Common.  The  railroad  came,  but  for  nearly  a 
century  there  was  no  increase  in  the  value  of  land  in  the  center  of 
the  town.  If  it  is  the  object  of  education  to  train  boys  to  be  good 
fathers  and  girls  to  be  good  mothers,  then  the  children  of  this  town 
a  century  ago  got  a  good  education,  although  they  had  very  little  of 
what  we  should  call  schooling.  "They  were  rich  in  self-control,  in 
efficiency,  and  in  common  sense,  and  they  had  gotten  their  wisdom  in 
the  greatest  of  all  schools — pioneer  life."  For  a  century  and  a  half 
the  farmers  of  this  town  "relied  for  their  sons  and  daughters,  not  upon 
trained  skill,  but  upon  native  ability,  sterling  character,  independence, 
and  industry." 


John  Glassett^s  farm,  was  the  JOSEPH  CHICKERING  place, 
and  was  set  off  from  the  original  Chickering  farm.  It  was  near  the 
center  of  population  in  the  early  time,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 

95 


DOVER    FARMS 

school-house  was  located  here.  The  house*  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses 
in  town,  having  been  built  in  1748.  Peat  was  such  a  common  article 
of  fuel  that  a  peat  room,  reached  from  the  outside,  was  found  in  this  old 
house  where  the  dry  peat  was  stored  for  use  in  the  fireplace. — Joseph 
Haven,  Noah  Haven. 

George  E.  Chickering's  farm  is  the  original  Chickering  homestead. 
NATHANIEL  CHICKERING,  the  emigrant,  cleared  land  and  built 
a  house  here,  having  received  a  grant  of  land  on  Trout  brook  in 
1678-9.  The  traditional  date  given  for  his  settlement  is  1690;  it  is 
believed,  however,  that  in  the  settlement  and  development  of  this  farm 
he  was  working  here  a  part  of  the  time  for  several  years  previous. 
Estates  and  farms  in  the  United  States  rarely  remain  in  the  hands  of 
a  family  for  more  than  three  generations;  it  is  interesting  to  note 
that  this  farm  has  been  in  the  Chickering  name  and  family  for  six 
generations.  A  majority  of  Dover  farms  have  not  been  transmitted 
through  three  generations.  The  present  house,  built  in  1767,  was 
remodeled  just  a  hundred  years  after  its  erection.  Here  can  be  seen 
the  picturesque  well-sweep,  which  was  once  common  on  all  farms,  and 
one  may  here  drink  from  a  well  which  for  m6re  than  two  centuries  has 
quenched  the  thirst  of  man  and  beast.  Here  was  located  a  cider  mill, 
which  made  cider  from  apples  grown  on  trees  of  which  the  seed  had 
been  brought  from  England  by  the  early  settlers.  Orchards  were 
cultivated  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  town  and  much  attention  was 
given  to  growing  sweet  apples,  as  they  were  used  as  an  article  of  food. 
Baked  sweet  apples  with  milk  were  eaten  in  the  summer  and  fall  in 
large  quantities.  The  sweet  apple  found  a  ready  sale  in  Boston,  and 
many  barrels  were  carried  from  Dover  every  year  to  the  Boston 
market.  The  Spice  sweeting,  the  Orange  sweeting,  and  the  Metcalf 
sweeting  were  favorite  varieties  of  a  century  ago.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  fine  apples  of  to-day,  of  which  we  have  great  variety, 
have  been  developed  from  the  original  apple  which  "as  offered  by 
nature  were  the  small,  sour,  bitter  crab  of  the  forest,  unpleasant,  indi- 

*The  life  in  this  house  was  minutely  told  in  the  historical  address  given 
on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the  Sawln  Memorial  Building.  See 
Proceedings,   page   8. 

96 


^3 


«2 


o 


DOVER    FARMS 

gestible,  innutritious."  Here  George  E.  Chickering  still  gives  the  old- 
fashioned  country  handshake,  strong  and  warm.  Through  his 
accurate  memory  and  keen  interest  in  historical  matters  many  tradi- 
tions and  historical  facts  "have  been  arrested  in  their  passage  to 
oblivion  and  preserved  for  future  generations." — Nathaniel  Chicker- 
ing, Nathaniel  Chickering,  Jesse  Chickering,  George  Chickering. 

ELEAZER  ELLIS'  homestead  is  at  the  left,  on  land  owned  by  the 
late  Captain  Wotton.  The  location  of  his  house  can  still  be  traced, 
which  was  probably  built  as  early  as  1690,  at  which  time  he  is 
believed  to  have  settled  here  with  his  neighbor,  Nathaniel  Chickering. 
It  is  a  tradition  that  Elias  Haven,  who  was  killed  at  the  Lexington 
Alarm,  April  19,  1775,  was  at  the  time,  living  on  this  farm.  He  was 
perhaps  following  his  trade  of  a  shoemaker.  The  proportion  of 
cordwainers  to  the  population  was  very  large.  Shoemaking  became 
a  winter  employment  at  an  early  date  in  the  development  of  the  parish. 
This  work  could  be  taken  up  and  carried  on  when  farming  was 
impossible  and  helped  to  eke  out  a  living  which  at  best  was  scanty 
of  those  things  which  can  be  purchased  with  money. — Caleb  Ellis, 

Miss  Lucy  A.  Smith's  house  was  built  in  1903  by  ERNEST  F. 
HODGSON.  This  place  is  of  much  interest  as  a  part  of  an  estate 
originally  settled  in  1690,  and  well  illustrates  the  development  of  the 
town. 

Capt.  Warren  Wotton's  farm  was  the  DEACON  JOSHUA  ELLIS 
place.  Mr.  Ellis  was  a  son  of  Eleazer  Ellis,  and  inherited  with  his 
brother,  Caleb,  all  of  his  father's  estate.  Joshua  built  a  house  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road,  in  1732,  while  Caleb  lived  on  the  homestead. 
Previous  to  the  organization  of  the  First  Parish  Church,  Joshua  Ellis 
attended  and  was  a  deacon  in  the  Needham  church.  The  standing 
and  intelligence  of  Dover  farmers,  in  an  age  of  few  advantages,  is 
found  in  the  fact  that  they  lived  within  the  "team  haul"  of  a  prosper- 
ous city.  Their  lives  were  influenced  by  the  great  Boston  preachers, 
lawyers,  doctors,  merchants,  and  students  of  their  time.  John 
Chickering.  Jr.,  purchased  a  part  of  this  estate  in  1798,  and  the  farm 

97 


DOVER    FARMS 

remained  in  the  Chickering  family  for  many  years.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Chickering  had  a  slaughter  house  here  in  connection  with  his  farm. — 
Prescott  Fiske. 

CHARLES  H.  CHICKERING  built,  in  1875,  the  house  where  his 
widow  and  son,  James  H.  Chickering,  and  family  now  live.  This 
settlement  is  of  interest,  as  the  founder  represented  in  the  seventh 
generation  one  of  the  original  English  settlers  of  this  town. 

Mrs.  Caroline  Hodgson  built  her  house  in  1905,  it  being  the  fourth 
house  built  by  her  family.  For  a  hundred  and  fifty  years,  until  the 
initiative  was  taken  by  this  family,  there  were  but  few  new  houses 
erected  in  the  center  of  the  town,  and  until  very  recently,  one  looked 
upon  the  same  scene  as  that  which  greeted  the  Dover  Minute  men 
when  they  assembled  on  the  old  training  field  on  the  morning  of  April 
19,  1775. 

CROSS  STREET  extends  from  Center  street  to  Dedham  street 
and  in  this  connection  is  one  of  the  oldest  roads  in  town.  It 
formed  a  part  of  the  road  which  was  laid  out  in  1695,  from  Noanet*s 
brook  to  Clay  brook,  and  was  the  connecting  link  between  Dedham 
street  and  Clay  brook  road,  which  was  regularly  traveled  after  the 
Indian  settlement  was  made  at  South  Natick  in  1650.  Later  this  street 
was  known  as  a  part  of  the  "Boston  road."  In  connection  with  these 
roads  we  easily  associate  the  early  life  of  this  people.  Here  was  exhib- 
ited the  courage,  fortitude,  as  well  as  the  superstitious  fears  of  the  early 
settlers.  There  is  always  a  certain  amount  of  superstition  in  the 
world,  and  there  always  will  be ;  it  finds  expression  in  fortune  tellers, 
clairvoyants,  and  palmists,  who  in  cities  carry  on  their  industry  in 
shabby  rooms  up  side  streets.  In  the  marine  service  there  are  lucky 
and  unlucky  captains.  If  a  captain  loses  his  ship,  he  cannot  have 
another.  Marine  underwriters  will  not  deal  with  the  unlucky.  That 
was  Napoleon's  rule.  It  has  been  the  rule  of  the  house  of  Rothschild 
for  a  century.  How  few  people  are  wholly  free  from  the  feeling  of 
which  it  speaks.     And  so  it  has  been  thought  worth  while  to  bring 

98 


DOVER    FARMS 

together  a  collection  of  the  superstitions  that  have  come  down  to  us 
in  the  town  of  Dover: 

If,  when  starting  on  a  journey,  one  meets  a  woman  first,  he  will 
have  bad  luck. 

If  a  person  sleeps  with  his  head  toward  the  east  he  will  have  ill 
health. 

Returning  to  the  house  after  starting  on  a  journey  will  bring  bad 
luck. 

If  one  cuts  his  finger  nails  on  Sunday,  he  will  do  something  to  be 
ashamed  of  during  the  week. 

If  the  sunset  is  clear  on  Friday  night,  it  will  storm  before  Monday 
night.    As  Friday  was,  so  the  following  Tuesday  will  be. 

If  it  rains  the  first  Sunday  in  the  month,  it  will  rain  every  Sunday 
in  the  month. 

Onion  skin  very  thin, 
Mild  winter*s  coming  in: 
Onion  skin  thick  and  tough 
Coming  winter  cold  and  rough. 

If  one  sees  the  new  moon  through  glass,  he  will  have  a  fall  before 
the  month  is  out. 

If,  when  driving,  a  squirrel  crosses  to  the  right,  it  is  a  sign  of  good 
luck;  if  to  the  left,  of  bad  luck. 

To  insure  good  luck  the  right  foot  should  be  dressed  first. 

If  a  light  is  brought  to  the  table  after  a  meal  has  been  begun,  it  will 
bring  sickness. 

If  one  breaks  an  article  on  Sunday,  he  will  break  something  else 
during  the  week. 

It  is  a  bad  sign  to  have  a  tree  blossom  in  the  fall. 

If  in  the  spring  one  kills  the  first  snake  he  sees,  his  enemies  will 
become  friends  and  he  will  not  break  a  bone  during  the  year. 

To  break  a  mirror  is  a  sign  of  death  in  the  family. 

It  is  a  bad  sign  to  have  a  hen  crow. 

To  see  a  shooting  star  is  a  sign  of  accident. 

To  commence  a  work  on  Friday  invites  delay  and  accident. 

99 


DOVER    FARMS 

The  giving  of  an  edged  tool  to  a  friend  will  be  followed  by  a  breach 
in  friendship. 

When  muskrats  build  their  houses  high,  there  will  be  high  water. 

When  the  corn  is  thickly  covered  with  husks,  and  when  there  is  an 
abundance  of  nuts,  there  will  be  a  hard  winter. 

The  weather  on  Christmas  day  and  the  eleven  days  following 
governs  the  next  year. 

Dropping  a  dish-cloth  will  bring  company. 

If  afflicted  with  cramp  in  the  legs  turn  your  shoes  bottom  up 
on  retiring. 

If  a  farmer's  son  kills  toads,  his  cows  will  give  bloody  milk. 

It  was  believed  that  the  touching  of  a  toad  would  cause  warts,  and 
that  when  such  a  wart  appeared,  if  it  was  pricked  and  the  blood 
allowed  to  drop  on  a  penny  and  the  penny  then  thrown  away,  who- 
ever picked  it  up  would  "get  the  wart" ;  that  is,  a  wart  would  appear 
on  the  hand  of  the  finder,  and  at  the  same  time  the  original  wart 
would  disappear  from  the  hand  of  the  first  sufferer. 

MRS.  SUSAN  HART  bought  in  1848,  seven  and  a  half  acres  of 
land  on  Cross  street,  and  built  the  house  thereon  which  is  now  owned  by 
Joseph  Wheeler.  This  was  the  home  of  William  G.  Hart,  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war,  a  cause  in  which  all  were  interested.  We  recall  how 
the  little  girls  made  comfort  bags  which  held  needles,  thread,  and 
other  little  needful  articles  for  the  homeless  soldiers  in  the  field. 
When  Mrs.  Hart  settled  here,  women,  by  their  indoor  occupations  or 
things  they  created  there,  added  an  important  element  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  family,  but  now  all  this  has  changed  and  the  woman  who 
wants  to  earn  money  has  to  go  out  after  a  job. 

4.       •{•       4« 

SPRINGDALE  AVENUE  extends  from  Farm  street  to  Walpole 
street.  This  avenue  was  built  in  1762,  by  Hezekiah  Allen 
"from  the  burying  place  past  the  meeting-house  to  the  house  of  John 
Cheney."  (Skimmings  place  on  Main  street.)  It  winds  over  the 
meadows,  crosses  two  brooks,  and  gradually  ascends  to  the  summit  of 
Meeting-house  hill.  The  drive  across  the  meadows  is  very  beautiful, 
and  the  surrounding  country,  when  viewed  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  is 

100 


DOVER    FARMS 

said  to  strongly  resemble  some  views  around  the  Mediterranean  sea.  On 
this  avenue  are  located  the  churches,  the  town  hall,  the  post  office,  the 
school-houses  and  the  grocery  store.  Springdale  avenue  also  connects 
the  two  parks  of  the  town.  When  the  meeting-house  was  built  in 
1750,  there  was  then,  as  now,  no  center  of  population,  the  settlements 
being  scattered  over  the  entire  territory.  The  meeting-house  was, 
therefore,  placed  without  regard  to  existing  roads,  on  the  hill,  in  the 
geographical  center  of  the  town,  measured  from  its  extremes.  Before 
the  building  of  Springdale  avenue,  the  nearest  road  led  from  the  house 
of  Benjamin  Ellis  (Coughlan  farm  on  Walpole  street),  to  the  burying 
place.  From  this  road,  and  from  Haven  street,  the  people  drove 
across  lots  to  the  meeting-house*.  There  is  hardly  a  road  in  Dover 
without  its  hill,  on  which  a  half  century  ago  the  boys  and  girls  coasted 
in  the  winter  season,  enjoying  a  universal  sport  which  for  excitement 
and  exhilaration  is  unsurpassed.  Modern  easy  methods  of  trans- 
portation and  communication,  says  a  recent  writer,  have  put  the  typical 
New  England  village,  with  its  manly,  self-reliant,  self-centered  life, 
out  of  existence,  and  with  it  has  passed,  or  become  decadent,  many  of 
its  community  sports.  In  addition  to  single  sleds  owned  by  every 
boy  in  the  neighborhood  were  the  double  runners,  which  were  made 
by  fastening,  with  a  long  board  or  plank,  two  clipper  sleds  together, 
so  that  the  rear  one  ran  in  the  track  of  the  first  one.  On  such  a  sled 
a  dozen  could  be  seated.  The  steering  was  done  by  a  stout  wooden 
crossbar.  The  memory  of  the  joyous  shouts  as  the  coasters  glided 
down  these  Dover  hills  is  pleasant  to  recall,  now  that  the  presence 
of  innumerable  automobiles  has  made  coasting  on  our  roads  but  a 
memory,  a  sport  that  cannot  be  participated  in  by  our  children, 
although  enjoyed  by  many  generations  of  their  forebears.  The 
beautiful  young  trees  surrounding  the  Common  were  set  out  in  con- 
nection with  the  observance  of  Arbor  day  by  the  pupils  of  the  Sanger 
school.  This  work  was  commenced  in  1889,  soon  after  the  establish- 
ment of  the  day,  and  was  made  possible  by  gifts  of  money  from  Benja- 
min P.  Cheney,  who  was  a  great  lover  of  trees.     Certain  trees  were 


•The  exact  distance  from  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house  to  the  old  State 
House  in  Boston,  as  given  by  J.  G.  Hales  in  his  survey  made  in  1820,  Is  13 
miles  6  furlongs  and  10  rods. 

101 


DOVER    FARMS 

planted  with  appropriate  exercises  and  named  for  Revolutionary 
officers  of  the  town.  The  elm  tree  on  the  Common  in  the  rear  of  the 
town  hall  was  planted  in  memory  of  Col.  Daniel  Whiting.  A  maple 
tree  in  front  of  the  Sanger  school-house  was  called  the  Lieut.  Ebenezer 
Newell  tree,  while  another  tree  was  named  for  Capt.  Ebenezer  Battle, 
who  led  the  Springfield  Parish  Company  of  Minute  men  at  the  Lex- 
ington Alarm. 

EDWIN  F.  BACON  buih  the  house  occupied  by  William  h! 
Locke,  in  1878,  on  land  purchased  of  Rev.  Allen  E.  Battelle.  Here 
Thomas  P.  Burke  set  up  the  "Dover  Shoeing  Forge,"  which  has  well 
met  the  needs  of  the  town. 

William  Whiting's  farm  (Lawrence  Minot  estate)  originally 
belonged  to  JOHN  DRAPER,  JR.,  who  settled  here  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  in  1724.  This  was  a  part  of  his  father's  estate,  half  of 
which  he  inherited  in  1749.  Slavery  is  looked  upon  as  a  southern 
institution,  but  slaves  worked  on  Dover  farms  long  before  they  were 
owned  in  Georgia.  John  Draper  had  an  interest  in  a  slave  which 
he  inherited  from  his  father's  estate  with  other  "moveables."  In  this 
parish  the  "hired  men,"  for  the  first  century  and  a  half  after  the  settle- 
ment of  the  town,  were  generally  native  bom,  they  earned  good  wages 
for  the  times,  and  were  good  citizens.  "They  were  far-famed  for 
skill  in  cradling,  mowing,  and  pitching,  and  could  drive  oxen  and 
handle  an  axe."  Not  a  few  "hired  men"  in  the  parish  took  part  in 
the  Revolution  and  became  "builders  of  the  nation."  By  reason  of 
thrift  and  good  habits  many  became  land-owners,  and  in  time  had 
farms  of  their  own.  Some  married  in  town  and  took  their  wives  to 
distant  places,  Westminster,  Lunenberg,  Warwick,  Massachusetts, 
and  Ashford,  Connecticut,  all  of  which  towns  received  residents  from 
Dover.  The  following,  whose  names  often  appear  in  the  parish 
records,  and  are  not  otherwise  mentioned  in  her  history,  were  prob- 
ably farm  hands:  Jabez  Wood,  Elias  Stimpson,  Silas  Taft,  Nathan 
Cook,  Thomas  Farett,  Thomas  Gardner,  Oliver  Kendrick,  William 
Mansfield,  Thomas  Morse,  Abraham  Chamberlain,  Paudant  Good- 
now,  Josiah  Briggs  and  Robert  Murdock.       Nowhere  in  the  world, 

102 


DOVER    FARMS 

avowed  the  correspondent  of  the  London  Times  in  1863,  was  the  labor- 
ing man  so  prosperous  as  in  the  United  States  before  the  Civil  war. 
American  labor  at  that  time  was  scarce,  precarious,  independent,  and 
fastidious;  whoever  condescended  to  work  was  sure  not  only  of  his 
daily  bread  but  also  of  a  certain  amount  of  decent  comfort;  the  very 
hedger  and  ditcher  had  it  in  his  power  to  raise  himself.  He  knew 
how  to  strike  the  best  bargain,  how  to  stand  on  his  rights  and  inter- 
ests, and  how  to  put  by  a  penny  for  a  rainy  day.  "If  ever  there  was 
a  country  in  which  labor  was  in  clover,  in  which  it  was  looked  up  to 
petted  and  honored,  it  certainly  was  this  North  American  community. 
— Aaron  Draper,  Daniel  Draper,  Aaron  Whiting,  Otis  Gould. 

Col.  George  A.  Meacham's  farm  was  a  part  of  the  Jonathan  Whiting 
place  and  was  owned  by  his  grandson,  RUFUS  WHITING,  who 
built  the  house  in  1838.  This  farm  remained  in  the  Whiting  family 
until  sold  by  Ithamar  Whiting  in  1874.  The  members  of  this  family, 
like  other  early  residents,  were  versatile  and  could  do  many  kinds  of 
work.  They  were  like  the  Essex  County  farmer,  described  by  a  local 
historian,  from  whom  many  Dover  families  are  descended.  He  was 
a  weaver  by  trade,  but  he  could  butcher  a  swine  or  write  a  will  or 
deed;  he  could  practice  in  probate  or  dig  a  grave;  he  could  make  a 
coffin  or  build  a  house;  he  could  cultivate  a  farm  or  survey  it;  he 
could  shoe  a  horse  or  an  ox,  or  make  his  own  or  other's  shoes;  he  was 
a  ready  helper  in  every  department  of  country  life.  For  many  years 
farmers  made  quantities  of  charcoal  in  the  fall  or  early  winter  which 
found  a  ready  sale  in  Boston. 

Matthew  McNamara's  farm  was  the  original  JONATHAN 
WHITING  place,  and  was  settled  previous  to  1732.  While  owned  by 
Walter  C.  Upham,  the  house  was  burned  (1864).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Up- 
ham  were  absent  at  the  time,  and  his  mother,  who  was  an  aged  woman, 
was  burned  to  death.  It  was  on  this  farm  that  Aaron  Whiting  was 
ploughing  when  the  Lexington  Alarm  was  given  on  the  morning  of 
April  19,  1775.  He  actually  left  his  ox  team  in  the  field  to  be  cared 
for  and  turned  to  pasture  by  his  bride  of  only  a  few  days.  Wives 
and  children  were  left  on  the  farms  to  get  a  very  poor  living,  while 

103 


DOVIiR    FARMS 

I 
the  husbands  and  fathers  served  in  the  Continental  Army.  Money 
had  to  be  borrowed  to  live  on.  Oxen  which  were  not  needed  during 
the  owner's  absence  were  often  killed  for  beef.  Aaron  Whiting 
lived  to  an  advanced  age  and  was  long  recalled  as  a  Revolutionary 
pensioner.  The  generation  which  immediately  preceded  us  remem- 
bred  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution.  General  Butler  in  his  Auto- 
biography tells  of  Revolutionary  soldiers  who  found  the  kitchen 
fireside  of  his  grandmother  a  pleasant  resort,  where  they  told  stories 
of  the  Indian  wars;  of  garrison  houses  and  of  women  running  from 
the  fields  of  corn,  pursued  by  savages,  and  sometimes  overtaken,  and 
sometimes  saved  by  the  faithful  musket  of  the  husband  or  father. 
Then  they  came  down  to  later  times — the  opening  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  the  massacre  at  Lexington,  and  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill;  and 
so  talked  on  until  I  had  as  deep-seated  a  prejudice  against  a  redcoat 
as  our  turkey  gobbler  exhibited  to  a  red  petticoat,  when  he  drove  my 
sister  into  the  house.  Matthew  McNamara  bought  the  farm  in  1867 
and  built  the  present  house. — Jonathan  Whiting,  Aaron  Whiting, 
Jonathan  Upham. 


The  Dunn  farm,  purchased  before  1860  by  Theodore  Dunn  of 
Roxbury,  was  at  one  time  a  part  of  the  Eleazer  Ellis  estate.  Here 
WILLIAM  WHITING  settled  in  1754,  and  carried  on  the  business 
of  a  tanner,  which  was  a  most  laborious  occupation  at  that  time.  He 
purchased  the  tannery  of  his  father  in  1755  and  continued  in  the 
business  for  nearly  half  a  century.  In  those  days  it  often  took  five 
or  six  years  to  tan  hides,  but  they  were  so  thoroughly  tanned  that  the 
leather  had  extraordinary  wearing  qualities.  To-day  leather  is  chem- 
ically tanned  in  a  few  minutes.  The  bark  was  probably  ground  by 
hand,  although  it  may  have  been  ground  by  horse  power;  at  best  it 
was  a  most  tedious  process.  With  the  machinery  used  as  late  as 
1784  two  horses  could  grind  only  a  cord  of  bark  in  a  day  of  12  hours. 
The  lime  vats  and  water  pools  probably  emptied  their  contents  directly 
into  the  brook;  but  there  is  no  certainty  even  of  this,  as  the  methods 
used  were  so  laborious  and  crude  at  this  time.  The  nail  shop,  where 
wrought  iron  nails  were  made  by  hand,  was  located  between  the 

104 


DOVER    FARMS 

present  Dunn  house  and  the  brook. — Enoch  Whiting,  Luther  East- 
man, Rev.  John  Haskell. 

ANSEL  K.  TISD ALE'S  house,  which  was  built  in  1881,  stands 
on  the  site  of  a  little  house  built  by  Rebecca  and  Mercy  Ellis  in 
1788.  The  Ellis  family  had  large  and  early  grants  of  land  at  the 
centre  of  the  parish.  All  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  Springdale 
avenue,  extending  from  Spring  brook*  to  Centre  street,  was  originally 
the  farm  of  Dea.  Joshua  Ellis,  which  was  sold  by  his  heirs  to  William 
Whiting  in  1788,  at  which  time  the  little  house  above  referred  to  was 
built. 

Miss  Amelia  B.  Alary's  homestead  was  originally  the  BARNABAS 
PAINE  place,  and  was  settled  by  Mr.  Paine  in  1865.  The  land  was 
a  part  of  William  Whiting's  estate,  whose  barn  and  tan  house,  a 
century  and  a  half  ago,  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  near 
Spring  brook. 

The  house  built  by  Mr.  Paine  was  burned  a  few  years  since  and 
replaced  by  a  new  house  on  the  same  site;  about  this  time  Mr.  Paine's 
carpenter  shop  was  altered  into  the  attractive  residence  of  Dr.  A.  B. 
Emmons,  2nd. 

Francis  V.  Bulfinch's  homestead  was  the  residence  of  the  late 
Ithamar  Whiting.  This  house  was  built  by  ANSEL  K.  TISDALE 
in  1872,  on  land  which  was  a  part  of  the  Dunn  estate.  Mr.  Whiting 
was  reared  on  a  nearby  farm,  where  native  cranberries  were  found 
growing  in  the  low  lands.  In  the  settlement  of  the  town,  cranberries 
grew  in  abundance,  especially  in  the  west  part  of  Dover.  The  gather- 
ing of  this  crop  in  the  fall  was  quite  an  industry.  Farmers  often 
collected,  in  favorable  years,  fifty  barrels  of  this  wild  fruit.  From 
cranberries  just  like  those  grown  in  those  wild  bogs  there  has  been 
developed  that  variety  of  berries  which  has  made  the  product  of  Cape 
Cod  known  all  over  the  world. 

J.  W.  Higgins  had  a  house  which  was  built  in  1887,  as  an  addition 
♦Often  called  Dunn's  brook. 

105 


DOVER    FARMS 

to  the  store  erected  by  LEWIS  B.  PAINE  in  1879.  These  buildings 
were  located  between  the  present  store  and  the  railroad,  and  were 
struck  by  lightning  and  wholly  destroyed  by  fire  August  25,  1901.  It 
is  an  interesting  fact  that  there  has  been  a  store  in  this  immediate 
vicinity  for  more  than  a  century,  the  first  one  being  located  on  the 
estate  of  the  late  Mrs.  Betsey  S.  Howe  on  Dedham  street,  and  was 
run  in  connection  with  the  tavern  for  many  years.  Mr.  Higgins* 
store  was  built  in  the  spring  of  1902,  and  the  store  of  Edmund  K. 
Dandrow  in  1911. 

LEONARD  DRAPER'S  house  was  built  by  himself  in  1890,  on 
land  purchased  of  the  heirs  of  Linus  Bliss.  Mr.  Bliss  shortly  before 
his  death  made  a  considerable  purchase  of  land  here  for  the  purpose 
of  moving  his  cigar  factory  to  the  centre  of  the  town,  where  he 
intended  to  establish  a  large  plant. — John  H.  Faulk. 

CHESTNUT  STREET  extends  from  Dedham  street  to  the  centre 
of  Day's  bridge.  It  is  of  interest  as  leading  directly  to  Charles 
river,  which  has  played  so  important  a  part  in  the  history  of  Massachu- 
setts. Watertown,at  the  head  of  navigation  on  Charles  river,  was  settled 
immediately  after  the  founding  of  Boston.  A  little  later  a  company 
from  Watertown  settled  farther  up  on  Charles  river  and  founded  the 
town  of  Dedham.  This  street  and  bridge  were  built  to  accommodate 
the  travel  eastward,  and  formed  a  part  of  the  ''Boston  road."  Start- 
ing at  Day's  bridge  the  town  built  in  1905,  in  connection  with  the 
Commonwealth,  its  first  mile  of  state  road.  Under  the  system  which 
prevailed  for  many  years  of  allowing  the  highway  tax  to  be  worked 
out  at  the  price  fixed  for  labor,  or  the  use  of  teams,  at  the  annual 
town  meeting,  under  the  direction  of  the  district  surveyor,  the  residents 
never  knew  what  a  good  road  was.  They  were  "deep  in  mud  in  the 
spring,  deep  in  dust  in  the  summer,  and  deep  in  snow  in  the  winter." 
In  the  autumn  only  were  they  comfortable  to  travel  on.  The  improve- 
ment in  roads,  of  which  the  town  is  justly  proud,  dates  from  the 
abolition  of  the  surveyor  of  highways  in  1888  and  the  appointment 
of  a  superintendent  of  streets.  Another  mile  of  road  was  added  in 
1908,  which  brings  the  state  road  nearly  to  the  center  of  the  town. 

106 


DOVER    FARMS 

CHURCH  STREET  was  built  to  connect  Springdale  avenue  and 
Haven  street,  and  overcomes  a  right  of  way  across  the  neighbor- 
ing lot  known  as  the  "Chickering  path,"  still  discernible,  and  made 
so  by  nearly  two  centuries  of  foot  travel  in  going  to  school,  church 
and  other  public  places.  This  street  furnishes  a  lovely  stroll  in 
spring  or  summer,  with  the  pine  grove  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
forest  and  deep  shady  dell  on  the  other.  The  succession  of  wild 
flowers  along  this  road,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  is  numerous 
and  beautiful.  Any  one  with  an  observing  eye,  and  a  love  of  nature, 
will  find  here  a  pleasant  walk,  and  a  beautiful  bit  of  landscape. 

MRS.  HELEN  M.  JONES  built  the  house  on  this  street  in  1886, 
on  land  which  was  a  part  of  her  mother's  estate.  Mrs.  Jones  some 
years  later  moved  from  town,  and  this  family  which  has  been  for  so 
many  years,  and  in  so  many  ways,  prominently  identified  with  Dover 
is  now  solely  represented  by  Miss  Sarah  E.  Dunn  of  Springdale 
avenue. 

•I*       4«       •!« 

WALPOLE  STREET  extends  from  Centre  street  to  County 
street,  and  in  its  development  was  gradually  extended  from 
farm  to  farm  to  enable  the  settlers  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  to 
reach  the  meeting-house.  On  this  street  was  heard  April  19th,  1775, 
the  hurried  feet  of  the  Walpole  Minute  Men,  as  they  marched 
through  Dover,  on  the  Lexington  Alarm. 

Eben  Higgins'  farm  was  originally  that  half  of  ELIPHALET 
CHICKERING'S  estate,  on  which  several  of  his  buildings  stood 
including  his  blacksmith's  shop.  The  date  of  his  settlement  cannot 
be  definitely  determined,  but  it  is  believed  that  he  settled  here  about 
1730.  At  one  time  this  farm  was  owned  by  Capt.  Samuel  Fisher,  the 
most  prominent,  the  most  influential,  and  the  richest  man  in  town, 
one  who  was  given  to  hospitality  and  good  works.  His  son,  Nathan 
Fisher,  who  lived  here,  was  a  prominent  trader  of  the  town.  Although 
hospitable,  the  women  were  so  busy  with  their  home  affairs  that  they 
had  little  time  for  visiting  or  for  ''days  at  home."  Once  in  a  while 
every  housewife  "had  company,"    when   a  neighbor  or  the  school 

107 


DOVER    FARMS 

teacher  was  invited  in.  If  in  winter,  a  fire  was  kindled  in  the  air- 
tight stove  in  the  "front  room,"  and  in  sewing  or  in  knitting  the 
afternoon  was  spent.  At  supper  the  table  was  laid  with  the  best 
china,  probably  a  wedding  gift.  Milk  toast,  and  "flapjacks,"  piled 
high  and  buttered  and  sugared  and  flavored  with  grated  nutmeg,  were 
served,  with  quince  preserve,  mince  pie,  which  had  probably  been 
kept  since  Thanksgiving,  and  fruit  cake,  all  of  which  was  passed  in 
turn  around  the  board.  On  such  occasions  "green  tea''  was  served, 
and  greatly  appreciated  by  the  guests.  The  china  sugar  bowl  was 
filled  with  white  loaf  sugar,  to  be  carefully  put  away  after  the  meal 
and  not  to  be  taken  down  until  company  again  appeared.  In  the 
evening  the  men  folks  came  in,  and  while  discussing  affairs  ate  the 
choicest  apples  and  drank  the  best  cider  which  the  home  afforded. 
At  9  o'clock  the  company  separated,  to  be  in  turn  invited  to  the  home 
of  a  visitor.  Little  visiting  was  done  outside  of  district  lines.  The 
meeting-house  was,  in  truth,  the  only  place  where  all  the  people  met. 
One  of  the  beautiful  elm  trees  on  this  farm  was  planted  by  Mr. 
Fisher's  daughter,  Abigail,  on  the  day  of  her  marriage  in  1807  to 
Timothy  Allen. — Ebenezer  Newell,  Jr.,  Timothy  Allen  2d,  John  F. 
Ford,  John  McNamara. 

JONATHAN  WHITING  purchased  the  land  and  built  the 
house  on  the  place  now  owned  by  the  Higgins  Brothers  in  1888.  This 
was  the  pasture  field  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sanger,  where  he  kept  his  cows, 
which  helped  to  eke  out  a  living  for  his  family,  on  his  annual  salary 
of  five  hundred  dollars,  out  of  which  he  sent  two  sons  to  Harvard  and 
two  daughters  away  to  school. 

/ 
PATRICK  McNAMARA  bought  his  farm  of  30  acres  of  his 

father,  John  McNamara,  in  1879,  and  erected  the  buildings  thereon. 

This  land  was  formerly  a  part  of  Eben  Higgins'  farm.       Here  is 

located  the  large  rock  on  which  the  town  powder-house  was  built  in 

1800. 

Walter  E.  Poole's  place  originally  belonged  to  the  Ebenezer  Newell 
farm.     After  selling  his  farm  on  Strawberry  hill,  MOSES  RICH- 

108 


DOVER    FARMS 

ARDS  built  here  previous  to  the  year  1800.  He  sold  this  little  place 
to  Moses  Sawin  in  1807,  having  previously  moved  to  Warwick,  Mass. 
Mr.  Sawin  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  later  settled  in  Natick.  This 
little  place,  in  the  years  that  have  passed,  has  had  many  owners,  the 
number  exceeding  perhaps  that  of  any  other  place  in  town. — Martha 
Stratton,  T.  Cooley  Norton. 

Thomas  Coughlan's  farm  was  the  BENJAMIN  ELLIS  homestead, 
which  was  settled  in  1728.  It  is  one  of  the  best,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
oldest  farms  in  town.  It  was  purchased  by  Dea.  James  Cheney  of 
Newton,  in  1757,  and  was  for  many  years  in  the  Cheney  family. 
Before  the  discovery  and  use  of  ether  as  an  anaesthetic,  in  1846, 
residents  of  this  town  submitted  to  major  surgical  operations  in  per- 
fect consciousness.  Individuals  are  recalled  who  submitted  to  such 
operations,  whose  agonizing  cries  were  heard  a  mile  away.  The  Rev. 
Martin  Cheney,  in  an  autobiography,  gives  a  minute  account  of  a 
surgical  operation  upon  himself,  performed  by  Dr.  Miller  of  Frank- 
lin in  1812,  in  which  he  well  describes  the  practice  and  the  agony  of 
such  an  operation. — John  Cheney,  James  Cheney,  Amos  Allen. 

The  First  Parish  wood  lot*  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  Walpole 
street,  a  little  way  south  of  the  Coughlan  farm.  In  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  town  the  minister  was  expected  to  plow,  harrow,  culti- 
vate, mow,  and  harvest,  like  the  rest  of  the  community.  Many 
parishes  owned  a  farm,  the  use  of  which  was  allowed  the  minister  rent 
free  as  a  part  of  his  salary.  When  the  Springfield  Parish  took  steps  to 
organize  a  church,  several  residents  gave  land  on  Walpole  street, 
amounting   in   all   to   twenty-eight   acres,   for   the   minister's   farm. 

Instead  of  settling  on  the  Parish  land,  Mr.  Caryl  purchased  the  farm 
on  Dedham  street,  which  remained  for  more  than  a  century  in  his 
family.  The  land  given  for  the  minister's  farm  still  remains  in  the 
hands  of  the  parish.  On  this  lot  the  early  ministers  cut  their  family 
supply  of  wood,  which  helped  to  eke  out  their  meager  salary.  During 
the  last  half  century  the  sales  from  the  parish  wood  lot  have  been  a 
source  of  income,  which  has  helped  to  paint  and  repair  the  meeting- 
house, as  well  as  to  meet  the  running  expenses  of  the  parish. 

•Sold  in  1913. 

109 


DOVER    FARMS 

JOHN  BREAGY'S  house  and  blacksmith  shop  were  built  by  him- 
self on  land  purchased  of  Josiah  Whiting.  The  house  was  erected  in 
1892,  while  the  shop  was  built  five  years  earlier.  Blacksmith's  shops 
are  always  of  interest,  as  horses  and  oxen  had  to  be  shod,  plows 
mended,  and  farm  implements  and  domestic  utensils  made  from  the 
start.    Such  shops  were  early  established  on  Dover  farms. 

JOHN  BURNS'  place  is  of  his  own  settlement,  and  stands  at  the 
head  of  a  street,  discontinued  some  years  ago,  which  led  to  Powisset 
and  the  sawmill  of  Capt.  Samuel  Fisher.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this 
picturesque  and  old-time  road  will  again  be  opened  to  travel,  as 
recently  recommended  (1909)  by  a  committee  of  the  town. 

Louis  Gergler's  farm  was  a  part  of  the  Simeon  Mann  estate. 
WILLIAM  WHITING  purchased  thirty  acres  from  Mr.  Mann  in 
1854,  and  built  the  house  thereon  in  1856.  Mr.  Gergler  is  believed 
to  have  been  the  first  German  to  settle  in  Dover.  He  reared  here  a 
large  family,  all  of  whom,  however,  took  up  their  residence  in  other 
towns. 

George  E.  Taylor's  farm  was  the  JOSIAH  REED  place,  first 
settled  in  1758.  Mr.  Reed  sold  this  farm  to  James  Mann  in  1786, 
and  it  became  the  original  homestead  of  the  Manns  in  Dover.  The 
old  custom  of  barter  is  well  illustrated  in  Mr.  Mann's  purchase  of 
six  acres  of  land  in  1784  of  Daniel  Chickering.  The  deed  is  given 
in  consideration  of  forty-one  bushels  of  Indian  corn.  Sometimes  an 
addition  was  made  to  a  homestead  when  a  son  married,  again  a  new 
house  was  built  on  the  farm,  in  which  case  the  old  house  was  aban- 
doned in  the  course  of  time.  James  Mann  in  giving  a  deed  of  a  part 
of  his  farm  to  his  son  Simeon  says:  "with  one  half  of  the  new  part  of 
the  dwelling  house  which  he  now  occupies  with  the  same  privilege  in 
the  other  part  of  the  house  which  he  now  has.'' — Ellis  Mann. 

The  Ziolkowski  farm  is  one  of  the  original  Chickering  settlements. 
Here  NATHANIEL  CHICKERING  settled  in  1781.  A  black- 
smith's shop  was  located  on  this  farm.    The  first  house  built  here  is 

110 


DOVER    FARMS 

still  standing  and  forms  one  of  the  outbuildings.  The  architecture 
of  the  old  house  is  a  little  different  from  other  types  found  in  the 
town.  The  second  story  projects  somewhat  over  the  first  one,  a  modi- 
fication of  the  block  house  of  colonial  Indian  warfare.  It  is  a 
pleasant  task  to  go  over  the  settlement  of  the  town  and  gather  what 
one  can  of  the  early  customs  and  domestic  life  of  the  people.  Nothing 
brings  the  old  times  back  more  vividly  than  the  old  houses  that  have 
been  preserved  to  us. — Daniel  Chickering,  James  Chickering. 

George  D.  Hall's  place,  the  "Lone  tree  farm,"  is  in  its  original  settle- 
ment, the  JOSIAH  ELLIS  place.  It  is  an  interesting  farm,  having 
been  settled  in  1728  by  a  native  of  the  parish.  Through  its  owners 
the  traditions  of  many  generations  of  the  town's  people  have  soaked 
into  the  soil.  Here  Deacon  Ralph  Battelle,  who  represented  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  town,  lived  and  reared  his  family — also  Simon 
Cheney,  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  town.  We  remember  the  bam 
swallows  that  in  large  numbers  used  to  build  their  nests  on  the  rafters 
and  under  the  eaves  of  the  old  barns.  Before  the  settlement  of  the 
town  we  presume  this  species  used  to  build  in  the  sand  banks  but 
through  the  years  this  habit  has  been  abandoned  by  these  birds.  The 
writer  can  recall  wild  pigeons  in  scattered  numbers  that  used  to  fly 
over  the  town  twice  a  year.  Among  the  early  settlers  they  were  caught 
by  the  dozen  in  nets  extended  on  the  ground.  A  tame  wild  pigeon, 
made  blind,  and  fastened  to  a  long  string  was  used  by  those  who 
caught  pigeons  in  a  large  way.  The  short  flight  and  repeated  calls  ot 
the  tame  pigeon  never  failed  to  bring  them  down.  In  the  season 
savory  pigeon  pies  were  often  found  on  the  farmers'  table. 

Dover  is  now  caring  for  her  birds  and  has  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  town  in  the  United  States  to  appoint,  with  a  salary,  a  bird 
warden.  With  the  erection  of  bird  houses  the  number  of  useful  birds 
can  be  greatly  multiplied  to  the  advantage  of  the  town  and  the 
destruction  of  the  gypsy  and  brown-tail  moth. — Samuel  Cheney. 

Before  crossing  Tubwreck  brook,  at  the  right,  can  be  seen,  a  short 
distance  from  the  road,  an  old  cellar  hole.  A  century  ago  this  lot 
was  known  as  the  "cellar  piece."     If  a  family  ever  lived  here  all 

111 


DOVER    FARMS 

trace  of  it  is  lost  in  oblivion.  No  history  or  tradition  can  be  con- 
nected with  the  spot.  It  was  probably  located  on  the  leading  way 
across  from  Strawberry  hill. 

J.  V.  Schaffner's  farm  was  the  original  home  of  the  Tisdale  family. 
Three  brothers,  Henry,  James  and  Billings  Tisdale,  came  here  previ- 
ous to  the  Revolution  from  Lebanon,  Conn.  They  all  settled  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  HENRY  TISDALE  settled  the  farm  on  Walpole 
street  in  1774.  Billings  Tisdale  located  on  County  street,  while  James 
Tisdale  purchased  the  farm  (Alfred  Tisdale's  place),  just  across  the 
line  in  Walpole.  Henry  Tisdale  married  a  grand-daughter  of  Samuel 
Chickering,  and  this  farm  was  a  part  of  her  grand-father's  estate. 
Henry  Tisdale  was  by  trade  a  hatter,  of  which  most  towns  could  boast 
one  man,  who  made  those  enormous  beaver  hats  that  looked  almost 
like  fur  and  were  worn  by  men  a  long  time  ago..  These  hats  were 
thoroughly  well-made  and  wore  a  long  time.  Mr.  Tisdale*  was  work- 
ing on  a  beaver  hat  on  the  morning  of  April  19,  1775,  when  the 
alarm  was  given.  He  immediately  threw  his  hat  in  one  direction  and 
his  brush  in  another,  and  hastened  to  Dover  center  where  he  joined 
the  company  of  Minute  Men.  The  old  toll  house,  where  the  toll  keeper 
lived  and  opened  the  gate  on  the  payment  of  the  toll,  on  the  Hartford 
turnpike,  now  forms  one  of  the  outbuildings  on  this  farm.  The  rate 
of  toll  was  a  penny  for  each  person  on  foot,  two  pence  for  a  horse  and 
chaise;  three  pence  for  a  two-horse  team,  and  four  pence  for  a  four- 
horse  team.  The  stage  coach  was  run  with  six  horses,  and  is  believed 
to  have  paid  in  proportion.  Capt.  James  Tisdale  was  a  prominent 
man  of  the  town,  a  ready  wit,  a  great  writer  of  doggerel  verse  and 
one  who  entered  most  heartily  into  the  jovial  life  of  the  neighborhood. 
He  was  a  renowned  auctioneer.  His  aptitude  for  public  sale  was 
inherited  by  his  descendants  and  for  several  generations  they  have 
been  popular  auctioneers.  This  was  the  home  of  Fisher  Tisdale  a 
man  of  remarkable  memory  and  deep  piety. 

An  orchestra  met  for  many  years  at  the  house  of  William  Tisdale, 
which  was  not  only  a  source  of  pleasure  to  the  members,  but  also  to  a 

*The  late  Ansel  K.  Tisdale  believed  this  incident  to  relate  to  James  Tis- 
dale, who  is  known  to  have  been  a  hatter,  rather  than  Henry  Tisdale. 

112 


DOVER    FARMS 

large  number  of  visitors.  While  all  the  members  of  this  orchestra 
have  joined  the  great  majority,  these  pleasant  occasions  still  linger  in 
the  memory  of  some  who  were  then  but  boys  and  girls.  The  orchestra 
consisted  of  Samuel  F.  Allen,  first  violin,  leader  and  prompter;  Henry 
L.  Pettee,  first  violin  and  harp;  Rufus  A.  Draper,  second  violin  and 
cornet;  Wm.  Tisdale,  flute;  Mrs.  Wm.  Tisdale,  piano;  Timothy 
Allen,  base  horn;  Fisher  A.  Allen,  tambourine,  triangle,  and  bells. 
This  orchestra  played  most  of  the  popular  music  of  the  day  with 
much  skill,  and  often  met  at  the  homes  of  members.  Sunday  even- 
ing meetings  for  sacred  music  were  common;  it  was  such  a  meeting 
called  for  Sunday  evening,  January  20,  1839,  that  caused  the  loss  by 
fire  of  the  beautiful  meeting-house  of  the  First  Parish.  Superior  pen- 
manship was  regarded  as  a  valuable  accomplishment;  many  farmers 
wrote  a  beautiful  hand,  as  account  books  and  school  exercise  books 
still  attest.  Writing  schools  were  much  resorted  to,  and  several  writing 
masters  are  recalled  who  had  writing-schools  in  Dover.  Young 
men  even  went  out  of  town  to  avail  themselves  of  the  privileges  of 
attending  such  schools,  which  were  usually  held  in  the  evening.  Wil- 
liam Tisdale  is  recalled  as  one  of  those  whose  manuscript  exercise 
books  show  him  to  have  been  a  good  and  careful  penman.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  some  of  these  manuscript  books  which  used  to  be  so 
common  in  Dover  homes  a  half  century  ago  will  find  a  place  in  the 

rooms  of  the  local  Historical  Society 

•{•       4*       4* 

HARTFORD  STREET  forms  a  part  of  the  original  Dedham  and 
Hartford  turnpike  and  extends  from  Westwood  on  the  east  to 
the  Medfield  line.  The  improvement  in  highways  which  has  become 
so  widespread,  dates  from  the  building  of  turnpikes  about  the  year 
1800.  In  construction,  these  roads  were  better,  wider,  and  straighter 
than  the  old  highways  and  better  able  to  sustain  the  burden  of  com- 
merce at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  During  the  first  decade  of  the  19th 
century,  180  turnpike  corporations  were  chartered  in  New  England. 
The  location  on  this  road  of  the  toll-house  is  a  historical  fact  of  inter- 
est. The  Dedham  and  Boston  turnpike  was  chartered  March  9,  1804. 
and  was  built  in  1806.  The  shares  were  sold  at  fifty  dollars  each. 
Over  this  road  a  line  of  stage  coaches,  drawn  by  six  horses,  was  run 

113 


DOVER    FARMS 

between  Boston  and  Hartford  where  connections  were  made  for  New 
York.  Rattlesnakes  were  once  numerous  in  the  rocky  woods  west  of 
Hartford  street.  In  fact  they  were  very  plentiful  at  one  time  in  the 
whole  vicinity.  The  home  of  Samuel  Chickering,  the  earliest  white 
settler  at  Powisset,  is  somewhere  spoken  of  as  near  "Rattlesnake  rock." 
The  early  inhabitants  used  rattlesnake  oil  as  a  cure  for  rheumatism 
and  sprains.  The  oil  is  very  penetrating  and  snakes  were  hunted  for 
the  oil  which  they  yielded.  In  the  winter  they  sleep  under  the  rocks 
in  the  hills.  With  the  warm  spring  days  they  crawl  out,  and  after  a 
short  time  seek  the  grass  and  bushes.  When  the  weather  becomes  dry 
and  warm  they  leave  the  hills  and  seek  the  cool  and  shady  swamps, 
where  they  are  easily  found  and  often  killed  by  farmers  in  haying 
time.  A  snake  has  one  rattler  during  his  third  year,  and  one  rattle 
each  succeeding  year,  so  a  snake  with  eight  rattles  is  said  to  be  ten 
years  old.  The  rattlesnake  is  very  slow  in  his  movements.  He  can 
throw  himself  a  distance  not  exceeding  his  length,  which  seldom 
exceeds  four  feet,  the  average  length  being  about  two  and  a  half  feet. 

CHARLES  DAMRELL  is  growing  cucumbers  under  glass  for  the 
Boston  market,  at  just  the  dividing  line,  with  his  house  in  Westwood 
and  his  green  houses*  in  Dover.  His  farming  is  quite  in  contrast 
with  the  practice  of  a  century  ago,  when  potatoes  were  rarely  raised 
and  com  was  actually  grown  on  these  Dover  farms  for  the  markets. 
Farmers  raised  but  little  hay,  as  cows  were  not  expected  to  give  milk 
during  the  winter  months,  but  were  turned  out  to  browse  in  the  woods. 
The  winter  feeding  of  animals  is  no  longer  the  task  of  a  century  ago. 
The  ensilage  of  forage  makes  it  possible  to  furnish  succulent  food  to 
animals  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  The  introduction  of  ensilage 
marks  the  dawn  of  a  great  change  in  the  feeding  of  stock.  Two 
Dover  farmers  made  valuable  contributions  to  this  development. 
Henry  R.  Stevens  in  the  publication  in  1881  of  his  book  entitled,  "On 
Ensilage  of  Green  Forage  Crops  in  Silos,"  which  did  pioneer  work, 
and  Samuel  R.  Colcord  in  the  invention  of  the  silo  governor,  the  use  of 
which  perfectly  controls  heat  and  fermentation.    This  invention,  with 

•Burned  in  1911. 

114 


DOVER    FARMS 

Mr.  Colcord's  treatise  on  the  subject,  was  a  valuable  contribution  to 
the  advancement  of  agriculture. 

Louis  H.  Kelley's  farm  was  the  MARTIN  GUY  place  which  was 
settled  in  1842.  Mr.  Guy  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Timothy  Guy, 
one  of  those  who  assisted  in  throwing  the  tea  overboard  in  Boston 
Harbor  on  the  night  of  Dec.  16,  1773. 

William  Neal's  farm  was  first  occupied  by  BENJAMIN  GUY. 
Mr.  Guy  moved  here  after  the  sale  of  his  farm  in  the  west  part  of 
Dover  in  1811.  Mr.  Guy  is  especially  remembered  as  being  unusually 
strong  and  powerful.  He  could  put  his  shoulder  under  the  beam  of 
the  barn  and  make  the  joints  creak.  He  was  a  school  master  who  had 
no  trouble  with  unruly  boys.  Timothy  Guy  inherited  the  farm  and 
had  a  little  shoe  shop  in  connection  where  he  took  the  prepared 
stock,  and,  with  the  aid  of  his  large  family  of  boys,  turned  out  the 
completed  boot  or  shoe.  Mr.  Guy,  when  a  young  man,  learned  the 
trade  of  the  shoe-maker  and  harness-maker  at  Newport,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  at  one  time  had  a  shoe-shop  in  Medfield.  When  a  boy  and 
before  the  discovery  of  anaesthetics,  Mr.  Guy  suffered  the  amputation 
of  a  leg.  The  horror  of  such  a  surgical  operation  cannot  be  imagined 
to-day.  In  the  years  that  have  passed  many  owners  of  these  old  farms 
submitted  to  surgical  operations,  accounts  of  which  are  still  recalled 
that  are  most  agonizing.  Turning  on  to  the  Hartford  turnpike  from 
High  street  in  Westwood,  the  first  collection  of  tolls  was  made  here, 
the  gate  being  swung  from  a  corner  of  the  house. 

MISS  SARAH  ANN  GUY  built  a  small  house,  the  cellar  of  which 
can  still  be  seen  west  of  her  father's  house.  She  later  married,  and 
about  1865  this  house  was  moved  to  Medfield,  and  now  forms  a  part 
of  a  house  on  Cottage  street. 

Note. — Before  the  building  of  the  Hartford  turnpike,  there  was  an  old 
road  called  the  Wisset  road,  which  started  near  the  house  of  Benjamin  Guy 
and  came  out  on  High  street  in  Westwood,  near  the  Boyd  farm.  This  road 
was  called  for  the  Wisset  Indians — probably  a  contraction  of  Powisset — 
who  once  lived  here.  This  may  have  been  the  "Old  Plain  Road,"  often 
spoken  of  in  ancient  transfers  of  real  estate. 

115 


DOVER    FARMS 

SAMUEL  HERRING'S  place,  which  was  settled  previous  to  1763, 
was  nearly  opposite  the  Guy  farm.  Mr.  Herring  sold  his  farm  to  his 
son,  Thomas,  in  1789.  The  buildings  have  long  since  disappeared, 
and  in  1843  the  old  cellar  was  filled  in.  The  well  still  remains 
covered  with  a  large  stone.  In  every  well  regulated  family  a  century 
ago  there  were  six  boards  always  kept  in  stock,  to  be  used  by  the 
village  carpenter  in  making  a  coffin  when  there  was  a  death  in  the 
family.  To  be  without  these  boards  subjected  one  to  the  charge  of 
being  thriftless  and  destitute  of  ordinary  forethought.  Mrs.  Stowe's 
"Old  Town  Folks,"  which  is  descriptive  of  life  in  Dover  as  well  as 
South  Natick,  says:  "It  was  a  doctrine  of  these  good  old  times,  no  less 
than  of  many  in  our  present  day,  that  a  house  invaded  by  death 
should  be  made  as  forlorn  as  hands  could  make  it.  It  should  be 
rendered  as  cold  and  stiff,  as  unnatural,  as  dead  and  corpse-like,  as 
possible,  by  closed  shutters,  looking  glasses  pinned  up  in  white  sheets, 
and  the  locking  up  and  out  of  sight  of  any  little  familiar  object 
which  would  be  thought  out  of  place  in  a  sepulchre." 

ELIJAH  HASTINGS  occupied  the  toll-house  built  in  1813  at  the 
corner  of  Walpole  and  Hartford  streets,  opposite  the  residence  of  the 
late  William  Tisdale.  Mr.  Hastings  moved  with  his  family  to  New 
York  state  at  a  time  when  the  larger  streams  had  to  be  forded  as  no 
bridges  had  been  built.  Oscar  Hastings,  born  in  Dover  in  1823,  was 
for  many  years  a  prominent  resident  of  Oswego,  New  York. 

William  Conrick's  farm  was  the  WALTER  STOWE  place.  Mr. 
Stowe  was  a  trunk  maker  and  settled  here  at  the  time  of  his  marriage 
in  1813,  having  cleared  the  farm  himself.  Mr.  Stowe  was  a  relative 
of  Prof.  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  who  sometimes  visited  here,  accompanied 
by  his  distinguished  wife,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  Farmers  a  century 
ago  were  great  whittlers,  and  made  toy  windmills  and  water  wheels 
and  various  things.  With  jack  knives  they  could  do  more  than  the 
farmer  of  to-day  can  do  with  a  kit  of  tools. — Albert  Stowe 

WALTER  WHITING'S  little  house,  on  the  left,  was  built  by  him- 
self.    This  property  was  bequeathed  to  the  town  on  much  the  same 

116 


Dover  farms 

terms  as  the  Larrabee  fund,  but  in  the  settlement  of  the  estate,  there 
was  but  little  money  with  which  to  establish  a  fund.  Although  Mr. 
Whiting  owned  but  a  small  place,  yet  he  was  reared  on  one  of  the  large 
farms  of  the  town,  where  in  his  boyhood  days  the  farming  was  gen- 
eral and  included  the  raising  for  the  market  of  beef,  veal,  mutton, 
pork,  poultry,  butter,  milk, -cheese,  eggs,  beans,  pease,  potatoes,  cab- 
bages, squash,  cucumbers,  citron,  tomatoes,  hay,  corn,  rye,  barley,  oats, 
pears,  peaches,  quinces,  apples,  plums,  cherries,  grapes,  cranberries, 

popcorn,  and  rye  straw. 

^         ^         4. 

POWISSET  STREET  extends  from  Walpole  street,  and  bears  an 
Indian  name.  In  transfers  of  real  estate  this  street  sometimes 
bore  the  name  of  "King  Road"  and  "High  Rock"  road.  The  plain  of 
Powisset  is  spoken  of  as  early  as  1662  in  Dedham  records.  Here  the 
early  settlers  turned  their  growing  stock.  A  shelter  was  provided  and 
the  herdsman  cared  for  the  stock  during  the  summer  months.  The 
plain  of  Powisset  is  of  great  historical  interest  as  the  home  of  the 
Powisset  Indians,  and  is  closely  associated  with  Indian  life  in  this 
town.  Beautiful  springs  abound  in  the  vicinity  and  the  picturesque- 
ness  of  the  surrounding  country  adds  a  charm  to  this  ancient  home- 
stead. Reserve  pond,  which  was  a  part  of  the  plant  of  the  New  Mill 
Company,  antedates  by  a  century  what  is  being  done  to-day  by  the 
largest  corporations  in  New  England,  the  storing  of  freshet  water  to 
be  drawn  upon  whenever  needed  in  the  running  of  mills. 

SAMUEL  CHICKERING,*  a  son  of  the  immigrant,  Nathaniel 
Chickering,  of  Haven  street,  settled  here  in  1720.  When  the  bounds  of 
the  precinct  were  established  in  1729,  they  were  made  to  include  "the 
lands  of  Samuel  Chickering."  Here  Samuel  Fisher  settled  after  his 

♦The  occupation  of  the  shoemaker  goes  back  to  the  early  development  of 
the  town.  Among  those  who  followed  this  trade  in  connection  with  their 
farms,  or  in  little  shops,  were  Samuel  Chickering,  Deacon  Joseph  Haven, 
Elias  Haven,  Ebenezer  Smith,  John  Jepson,  Ebenezer  Battelle,  Jeremiah 
Paeon,  Hezekiah  Battle,  Rufus  Smith,  Z.  Moore,  Joseph  Knowlton,  Reuben 
Griggs,  H.  Moore  and  William  Faulk.  These  shoemakers  took  the  measure 
and  made  the  boot  or  shoe  on  their  own  bench  from  their  own  leather  or 
from  that  furnished  by  their  patron.  Tliey  were  complete  masters  of  every 
branch  of  the  trade,  and  so  gained  a  valuable  discipline  from  their  work. 

117 


DOVER    FARMS 

marriage  in  1751  with  Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel  Chickering.  Mrs. 
Fisher  had  several  tracts  of  land  from  her  father's  estate.  At  the  time 
of  Mr.  Fisher's  death  in  1758,  the  value  of  his  real  estate  was  not 
estimated,  as  the  appraiser  stated  that  "ye  land  does  not  lie  in  this 
provence.''  It  is  a  tradition  that  Mr.  Fisher  came  to  Dover  from  New 
Hampshire,  although  he  was  born  in  Needham.  This  farm  was 
inherited  by  Mr.  Chickering's  grandson,  Capt.  Samuel  Fisher.  He 
lived  here  until  1793,  when  he  moved  to  Dover  Center. — George 
Fisher. 

Bernard  Post's  house  was  built  after  the  "great  blow"  in  Septem- 
ber, 1815,  by  SAMUEL  FISHER,  of  timber  uprooted  in  his  exten- 
sive woodlands.  This  great  wind  storm  is  recorded  as  a  hurricane, 
unlike  anything  which  had  previously  happened  since  1665.  The 
town  has  had  at  various  times  not  only  violent  storms  but  earthquakes, 
droughts  and  epidemics,  which  proclaimed  the  Day  of  Judgment  to 
some  God-fearing  inhabitants;  happily,  such  events  are  no  longer 
looked  upon  as  direct  visitations  of  the  Almighty.  While  the  farms 
for  the  most  part  have  been  small,  the  original  Powisset  estate  has 
been  an  exception.  It  consists  of  two  parts,  the  easterly  and  westerly 
sections,  and  contained  in  the  aggregate,  in  1821,  four  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  acres,  making  it  the  largest  farm  in  the  history  of  the 
town.  This  farm  has  lately  been  purchased  by  Horatio  Hathaway, 
Jr. — Timothy  Allen,  Samuel  F.  Allen. 

GEORGE  POST'S  house  stands  on  the  original  Powisset  farm, 
and  was  built  in  1896.  This  section  of  Dover  is  of  great  interest, 
being  as  is  well-known  the  home  of  the  Powisset  Indians  when  the 
town  was  first  settled.  The  fields  where  they  planted  corn  were  trace- 
able less  than  a  century  ago.  The  Indians  of  the  vicinity  roamed 
over  the  town  for  many  years,  selling  baskets,  brooms  and  repairing 
chairs;  they  usually  stopped  where  night  overtook  them,  sleeping  in 
the  farmer's  barn,  and  going  to  the  house  in  the  morning  for  a  break- 
fast. No  ungrateful  advantage  was  ever  taken  by  these  uninvited 
guests  who  claimed  the  right  not  aggressively,  but  as  a  matter  of 
course. 

118 


DOVER    FARMS 

"Beneath  low  hills,  in  the  broad  interval 
Through  which  at  will  our  Indian  rivulet 
Winds  mindful  still  of  sunnup  and  of  squaw, 
Whose  pipe  and  arrow  oft  the  plough  unburies, 
Here,  in  pine  houses,  built  of  new-fallen  trees, 
Supplanters  of  the  tribe,  the  farmers  dwell." 

CHARLES  FISHER'S  house  built  in  1812,  stood  on  a  small  piece 
of  land  east  of  George  Post's.  The  cellar  hole  can  still  be  seen.  In 
most  of  the  old  houses  a  half  century  ago  the  rats  took  formal  pos- 
session and  became  ancient  in  spite  of  traps,  cats,  or  anything  that 
could  be  devised  against  them.  The  description  of  the  rats  in  her 
childhood  home  by  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  as  related  by  her  son, 
exactly  coincides  with  the  experience  of  the  writer  in  his  old  Dover 
home.  "They  romped  all  night,"  says  Mrs.  Stowe,  "on  the  floor  of 
the  garret  over  her  sleeping  room,  apparently  busy  hopping  ears  of 
com  across  the  floor  and  rolling  them  down  into  their  nests  between 
the  beams."  Sometimes  she  would  hear  them  gnawing  and  sawing 
behind  the  wainscotting  at  the  head  of  her  bed,  as  if  they  had  set 
up  a  carpenter's  shop  there,  and  would  be  filled  with  terror  lest  they 
should  come  through  into  her  bed.  Then  there  were  battles  and 
skirmishes  and  squealings  and  fighting,  and  at  times  it  would  seem 
as  if  a  whole  detachment  of  rats  rolled  in  an  avalanche  down  walls 
with  the  cobs  of  corn  they  had  been  stealing  This  house  was  removed 
previous  to  1833;  a  part  of  it  forms  the  house  of  the  late  Frank 
Cheney  on  Winter  street,  Westwood. 

LUKE  DEAN'S  farm  is  now  a  part  of  the  grounds  of  the  Powisset 
Club  Association.  The  club  buildings*  stand  south  of  the  site  of 
the  old  house,  which  Mr.  Dean  occupied  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 
The  cellar  hole  can  still  be  seen.  This  location  is  called  "Dunklin 
hole,"  a  place  which  is  referred  to  in  the  Dedham  records  as  early 

♦The  Powisset  Club  Association  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Mas- 
sachusetts June  2B,  1896,  It  had  a  tract  of  about  35  acres  of  land.  The 
Association  built  a  camp  and  constructed  an  artificial  pond  of  about  an  acre 
In  extent  by  damming  the  stream  which  flowed  through  the  premises.  The 
Association  continued  until  1906,  when  a  number  having  withdrawn,  the 
entire  property  was  purchased  by  four  members.  The  three  clubhouses  of 
the  Association  were  totally  destroyed  by  fire  May  10,  1911. 

119 


Dover  Ij^arms 

as  1716.  In  attempting  to  cross  the  bog,  now  covered  by  the  water 
of  the  artificial  pond,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dunklin  got  mired  and 
had  to  be  extracted  by  a  friend,  since  which  time  it  has  been  called 
Dunklin  hole.  This  place  was  the  terror  of  farmers,  who  lost  many 
cattle  here  in  its  unfathomed  depths. — Joseph  Dean. 


WILLIAM  KING'S  farm  on  Powisset  street  was  long  since 
deserted  and  has  entirely  disappeared.  Mr.  King  was  a  skilled 
blacksmith  and  followed  his  trade  here.  He  made  for  the  farmers 
of  the  vicinity,  shovels,  hoes,  forks,  fire-dogs,  and  toasting  racks,  as 
well  as  re-tempered  axes;  he  also  hammered  great  iron  spikes  and 
shingle  nails  for  the  carpenter.     He  settled  here  in  1763. 


COUNTY  STREET  extends  from  Westwood  to  Medfield,  and 
forms  the  boundary  line  between  Dover  and  Walpole.  This  is  a 
very  old  way,  but  was  not  laid  out  until  1719.*  County  street  is 
probably  the  only  road  in  town  that  could  be  called  the  "King's  High- 
way."    It  was  used  for  through  travel  in  colonial  times. 

With  the  introduction  of  electric  cars  on  this  street,  it  may  be 
interesting  to  note  the  development  in  means  of  public  travel  since 
this  highway  was  first  opened  for  public  use  so  many  years  ago.  For 
the  first  thirty  or  forty  years  after  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 
the  stage  coach  was  the  only  means  of  public  travel.  These  coaches 
designed,  with  good  roads  and  good  weather,  and  a  frequent  change 
of  horses,  to  make  ten  miles  an  hour.  In  those  days  the  coach  traveled 
night  and  day,  and  it  took  one  and  a  half  days  to  go  from  Boston  to 
New  York,  a  distance  which  is  now  covered  by  the  railway  train  in 
five  hours.  We  may  note  the  improvements  that  have  been  made  in 
other  directions.  A  brief  inspection  of  modern  articles  for  traveling 
purposes  will  reveal  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  bags  and 
trunks.  In  the  day  of  coach  lines  people  travelled  with  band 
boxes  with  cloth  covers,  which  were  gathered  and  brought  together 


•Authority,   William   S.   Tilde n 

120 


Dover  farms 

at  the  top.  Trunks  were  covered  with  calfskin,  with  the  hair  side 
out,  and  some  good  specimens  of  these  ancient  hair  skin  trunks  still 
exist.  In  May,  1834,  the  first  railway  train  in  Massachusetts  drawn 
by  a  locomotive  was  run  from  Boston  to  Newton,  and  when  the  road 
was  extended  to  Natick  it  was  an  occasion  of  great  interest  to  the 
residents  of  Dover.  People  went  from  miles  around  to  see  the  rail- 
way train.  In  1846  a  line  of  "busses"  was  established  in  Boston, 
which  was  continued  until  1889.  After  1851  this  line  was  managed 
and  controlled  by  Jacob  H.  Hathorne,  who  owned  for  many  years  the 
Lee  farm  in  West  wood,  near  the  Dover  line.  The  busses  gradually 
gave  way  to  horse-cars,  which  were  first  introduced  in  Boston  in  1856. 
They  were  soon  extended  to  Roxbury,  Brighton,  and  other  suburbs 
of  Boston.  With  the  introduction  of  horse-cars,  farmers  going  to  Bos- 
ton often  drove  to  the  nearest  line  of  street  cars,  put  their  "horse  up" 
and  took  the  car  into  Boston.  Electricity  as  a  motive  power  was 
first  used  on  the  streets  of  Boston  in  1888,  and  has  now  been  extended 
far  beyond  the  suburbs  of  the  city. 

JOSEPH  BULLARD  purchased  the  land  and  settled  the  T.  W. 
Bradbury  farm  in  1695.  He  had  previously  lived  in  Medfield,  where 
his  house  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  King  Philip's  War,  and 
never  rebuilt.  The  original  house  on  this  farm  stood  but  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  Medfield  line.  His  son,  John  Bullard  settled  here 
soon  after  his  marriage  in  1701,  and  may  have  lived  for  a  time  in  the 
house  marked  by  the  cellar  hole,  still  to  be  seen  on  this  farm  east  of 
the  Bradbury  house.  John  Bullard  sold  the  farm  to  his  son,  Josiah 
Bullard,  in  1739.  The  present  house  was  probably  built  in  1810. 
Billings  Tisdale,  who  later  owned  this  farm,  had  a  blacksmith's  shop 
here. — Nathaniel  Bullard,  Aaron  Allen,  Moses  Wadsworth. 

Charles  F.  Leeds'  place  was  a  part  of  the  original  Bullard  farm. 
The  house  was  built  by  THOMAS  SMITH  some  seventy  years  ago. 
Mr.  Smith  lived  on  the  Bradbury  farm  and  carried  on,  in  connection, 
an  extensive  brush  business.  His  brush  factory,  now  weather  beaten 
and  dilapidated,  can  still  be  seen  on  this  estate.  Here  Capt.  Henry 
H,  Ayer  lived,  and  for  a  time  carried  on  the  business  of  a  cabinet 

121 


DOVER    FARMS 

maker,  with  several  men  in  his  employ.      He  made  a  specialty  of 
the  manufacture  of  tables. 

JONATHAN  BULLARD'S  farm  lies  north  of  County  street.  It 
was  located  on  a  "leading  way"  which  probably  extended  through  to 
Walpole  street.  This  farm  was  originally  a  part  of  his  grandfather's 
(Joseph  Bullard)  estate  on  County  street,  and  was  settled  by  Jonathan 
Bullard  in  1748.  It  was  long  since  abandoned  and  has  not  been 
traced  since  it  was  sold  in  1762  to  Jabez  Baker. 

4-         4*         ^ 

JUNCTION  STREET  leads  from  Farm  street  to  the  Medfield 
line.  It  is  a  road  which  has  been  travelled  for  more  than  a  century 
and  originally  connected  the  "west  end  of  Dover"  with  many  old 
Medfield  farms.  James  C.  Hopkins  moved  the  original  Hartshorn 
house  to  its  present  site  when  he  built  his  mansion  house  on  Farm 
street  a  few  years  since. 

Since  history  is  simply  the  record  of  the  events  of  human  life 
Dover  Farms  helps  to  make  more  complete,  in  a  very  real  way, 

the  narrative  history  of  the  town. 

4*        •{•        •{• 

IF  a  resident  of  this  town  of  fifty  years  ago  should  return  and  see 
the  Town  Hall,  the  Historical  Society's  Memorial  building, 
the  collection  of  books  in  the  Public  Library,  the  Post  Office,  with 
its  many  arrivals  and  departures  of  mail,  the  rural  free  delivery,  the 
daily  papers,  the  frequent  railway  trains,  the  telephone,  the  electric 
lights,  the  automobiles  on  the  streets,  and  electric  cars  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  he  would  realize  the  change  which  has  come  over 
this  town  during  the  last  half  century,  largely  through  the  building  of 
the  railroad.  There  was  little  change  in  the  life  of  the  people  before 
1860.  It  was  not  the  Civil  War  which  wrought  the  change,  but  that 
world  movement,  the  introduction  of  machinery.  The  residents  of 
the  town  who  gave  time,  money  and  land  to  gain  railroad  connections 
with  Boston  should  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance.  Trains  com- 
menced to  run  in  1861.  This  was  the  most  important  event  in  the 
modern  history  of  the  tov/n.  From  that  time  there  was  a  change,  slow 
in  development,  but  none  the  less  far  reaching.     This  is  no  longer 

122 


DOVER    FARMS 

a  purely  agricultural  town,  but  one  that  is  becoming,  as  the  beautiful 
illustrations  in  this  volume  show,  more  and  more  a  residential  place. 
Before  the  building  of  the  railroad  there  were  only  two  persons  with  a 
residence  in  Dover  who  earned  a  living  elsewhere;  now  there  are 
many  such. 

Hiram  Adams,  who  owned  the  Rogers  farm  on  Pleasant  street, 
worked  in  Boston  as  a  printer  and  for  fifteen  years  returned  to  Dover 
every  Saturday  night.  Jared  Allen  had  a  pork  stall  in  Faneuil  hall 
market  for  many  years,  where  he  had  the  reputation  of  supplying  the 
best  pork  in  the  Boston  market.  A  part  of  the  time  he  lived  in  Dover 
and  carried  on  the  ancestral  farm  on  Pegan  hill.  Walter  W.  Upham 
(followed  by  a  long  successions  of  others)  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  resident  of  Dover  to  make  daily  trips  between  his  home  and  Bos- 
ton, all  of  which  was  made  possible  by  building  the  railroad  through 
the  town. 

The  progress  of  the  town  can  be  traced  in  the  development  of  the 
Post  Office.  The  receipts  of  the  Dover  Post  Office  in  1829  (the  year 
of  its  establishment)  were  $36.51;  1830,  $51.05;  1840,  $113.88; 
1860,  $38.18;  1880,  $167.71;  1900,  $388.07;  1905,  $614.61; 
1906,  $850.21. 


Note. — The  location  of  all  houses,  since  the  first  settlement  of  the 
territory,  have  been  described  in  the  foregoing  pages,  except  that  of  Tim- 
othy Merrifield,  whose  house  is  referred  to  in  the  following  described  real 
estate,  but  has  not  been  definitely  placed,  although  it  is  believed  to  have 
been  located  on  Farm  street,  nearly  opposite  the  house  of  Elias  Haven. 
Ebenezer  Newell  sold  in  1769  to  Theodore  Newell  "40  acres  of  land 
bounded  south  by  road  leading  to  Springfield  Meeting-house,  west  by  land 
of  the  heirs  of  Abigail  Clark,  north  on  the  land  of  the  widow  Ellis,  east 
on  land  of  Thomas  Merrifield  and  John  Mason,  with  all  the  buildings 
thereon,  excepting  one  acre  on  which  Timothy  Merrifield's  house  now 
stands."  Through  the  years  these  Dover  estates  have  been  conveyed  by 
"clear  titles,"  which  was  one  of  the  dearest  possessions  of  the  New  Eng- 
land farmer  from  the  first  settlement  of  the  colony  to  the  present  day. 


123 


DOVER    FARMS 

Cease,  mother-land,  to  fondly  boast 

Of  sons  far  off  who  strive  and  thrive, 
Forgetful  that  each  swarming  host 

Must  leave  an  emptier  hive ! 

O  wanderers  from  ancestral  soil, 
Leave  noisome  mill  and  chaffering  store; 

Gird  up  your  loins  for  sturdier  toil. 
And  build  the  home  once  more. 

What  matter  if  the  gains  are  small 

That  life's  essential  wants  supply? 
Your  homestead's  title  gives  you  all 

That  idle  wealth  can  buy. 

Your  own  sole  master's  freedom-willed, 

With  none  to  bid  you  go  or  stay. 
Till  the  old  fields  your  fathers  tilled, 

As  manly  men  as  they! 

With  skill  that  spares  your  toiling  hands, 

And  chemic  aid  that  science  brings, 
Reclaim  the  waste  and  outworn  lands, 

And  reign  thereon  as  kings ! 

—Whittier. 


Note. — The  following  customs  should  be  included  in  this  account  of 
Dover  life.  A  universal  practice  prevailed  of  burning  chimneys  out  as  a 
precaution  against  fire.  A  rainy  day  was  selected  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
when  the  chimney  was  set  on  fire  by  means  of  rye  straw  placed  in  the  flue. 
Chimnys  were  often  so  foul  that  they  burned  with  such  a  roar  that  timid 
children  sought  other  buildings  for  safety.  Camphor  bottles  were  kept,  not 
only  for  medicinal  purposes,  but  were  consulted  as  barometers  as  well 
for  indications  of  changes  in  weather.  The  gum-guiac  bottle  was  always 
at  hand  and  the  medicine  administered  to  children  for  the  belly-ache; 
when  served  with  milk  it  lost  its  fiery  qualities  and  was  not  unpleasant  to 
take. 


124 


APPENDIX. 


BROOKS. 

y^jg^HE  numerous  brooks  of  the  town  wending  their  way  to 
the  mighty  ocean  are  of  more  than  passing  interest,  As 
the  life  of  the  individual  is  in  some  measure  determined 
a  thousand  years  before  he  is  born,  so  the  physical 
character  of  this  town  was  determined  many  thousands  of  years  before 
its  history  began.  The  ice  age  in  the  remote  past  made  this  at  first 
an  agricultural  town  and  covered  its  broken  surface  with  forests  of 
oak  and  pine.  The  brooks,  tributaries  to  the  Charles  and  Neponset 
rivers,  have  their  sources,  and  are  fed  by  innumerable  springs  which 
abound  in  every  section  of  the  town.  All  the  brooks  flow  out  of  the 
town  and  no  water  comes  in,  except  by  rain  and  the  dews  of  heaven, 
which,  filtered  through  the  soil,  comes  out  again  in  never-failing 
springs.  Here  lies  the  secret  of  the  settlement  and  slow  development 
of  Dover. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  town,  water  power  was  fully  utilized. 
The  Wilsons  had  a  saw-mill  on  Mill  brook  which  was  long  in  opera- 
tion. Saw,  grist  and  fulling  mills  were  built  on  Charles  river  soon  after 
King  Philip's  War.  Noanet  brook  had  near  its  source  a  saw-mill  built 
in  1783,  by  Samuel  Fisher,  which  was  in  use  for  many  years.  Farther 
down  the  stream  David  Wight  commenced  to  build  a  saw-mill  previous 
to  his  death,  in  1752.  The  property  was  purchased  by  Thomas 
Richards  in  1753,  and  the  mill  completed.  A  saw-mill  was  built  at 
the  mouth  of  Noanet  brook  in  1795.  Later  a  grist-mill  was  established 
in  cormection,  but  both  mills  were  abandoned  by  1855.  In  1815  the 
Dover  Union  Iron  mill  was  built  and  the  "reserve  pond"  established. 
John  Brown  built  a  saw  mill  on  Little  brook,  and  Ebenezer  Smith 
built  about  the  year  1800,  on  the  little  run  which  crosses  Farm  street 
near  Springdale  avenue,  a  wheelwright  shop.       We  should  bear  in 

125 


APPENDIX 

mind  that  not  a  "bucketful"  of  water  runs  into  the  town,  but  through 
nine  brooks  millions  of  gallons  of  water  annually  run  out.  A  century 
ago  the  brooks  of  the  town  carried  much  more  water  than  now.  A 
large  area  was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber  which  furnished 
such  a  covering  of  leaves  that  the  ground  seldom  froze  solid  in  win- 
ter, therefore,  the  rain  and  the  melting  snow  soaked  into  the  soil  and 
the  water  was  saved  to  keep  the  springs  and  streams  going  all  the 
year.  With  the  destruction  of  so  much  wood  land  by  forest  fires,  the 
amount  of  water  has  been  lessened  and  all  the  industries  on  Dover 
streams  have  ceased.  As  the  supply  of  coal  diminishes  water  power 
will  again  be  utilized  and  changed  into  electricity  to  take  the  place  of 
coal — then  these  brooks  will  no  longer  run  to  waste. 

4*       4*       4* 

OTTER  BROOK*  rises  on  the  farm  of  the  late  Amos  W.  Shum- 
way.  Its  name  goes  back  to  the  time  when  the  otter,  that  fish- 
eating  animal,  inhabited  its  waters.  This  animal  was  very  numerous 
in  the  early  settlement  of  the  territory,  but  has  long  since  disappeared. 
As  the  generations  pass,  some  forms  of  life  are  left  behind  in  the 
race  for  existence.  "We  love  the  creatures  that  are  native  to  our  soil; 
there  is  fascination  in  the  wild  being  that  knows  no  tether  and 
acknowledges  no  control."  This  brook  empties  into  Charles  river,  near 
the  beautiful  Dingle  Hole  narrows. 

4.         4*         4* 

FISHER  BROOK  has  its  source  on  the  land  of  the  late  Charles 
Williams,  on  Farm  street.  Here  for  more  than  a  century  the 
school  children  have  gathered  peppermint  and  spearmint,  and  so  this 
little  stream  has  become  closely  associated  with  the  out-of-door  life 

•All  the  brooks  of  the  town,  with  their  names,  were  first  laid  down  on  the 
map  in  the  "Biographical  Sketches  of  Dover  Soldiers,"  published  by  the 
Town  in  1909. 

Note. — The  small  stream  never  honored  with  a  name,  which  for  many 
years  turned  the  waterwheel  at  the  wheelwright  shop  of  Ebenezer  Smith 
and  Rufus  Battelle,  on  Farm  street,  has  its  beginning  on  Pegan  hill.  It 
flows  eastward  and  loses  itself  in  what  was  early  called  Great  brook. 

126 


-Si 


Brooklet,  Centre  Street 


APPENDIX 

of  the  West  school.  This  brook  was  named  for  Josiah  Fisher,  who 
owned  the  farm  for  many  years,  through  which  it  passes  in  emptying 
into  the  Charles  river. 

•{•        4«        •{• 

TROUT  BROOK  is  the  largest  brook  in  town.  It  was  called 
both  "Great  brook"  and  "Natick  brook"  in  early  records.  It  is 
of  service  as  locating  many  early  grants  of  land.  It  rises  in  the  low 
land  south  of  Miller  hill  and  west  of  the  railroad.  The  water  of  this 
stream  has  never  been  much  utilized,  although  several  attempts  have 
been  made  to  place  mills  upon  its  banks.  In  time,  when  the  inhab- 
itants realized  that  its  pure  water  teemed  with  trout,  they  gradually 
came  to  call  it  by  its  present  name,  which  was  given  it  previous  to 
1750.  The  Apostle  Eliot  in  his  Indian  work  intended  to  make  Trout 
brook  the  dividing  line  between  Natick  and  Dedham. 

4*       4*       4* 

SPRING  BROOK  with  its  pure,  sparkling  water,  has  its  source 
in  the  numerous  springs  near  the  center  of  the  town.  It  flows 
through  peaceful  meadows  which  abound  in  springtime  with  the  marsh 
marigold.  Watercress  grows  here  in  abundance,  and  is  often  gathered 
by  people  from  out-of-town,  who  visit  the  place  for  this  purpose.  The 
tiny,  playful  trout  which  inhabit  its  waters  are  of  interest  and  are 
often  tempted  by  the  fisherman's  fly.  The  public  watering  place  is  of 
historical  moment,  illustrating  the  primitive  way  our  fathers  had  of 
watering  animals.  The  boiling  spring  on  the  land  of  the  late  Theo- 
dore Dunn  is  a  rare  and  beautiful  spring.  Mr.  Stimson  thus  refers 
to  a  historical  fact  in  the  naming  of  this  parish  in  "King  Noanett": 
He  says:  "We  called  the  new  parish  Springfield,  for  it  had  a  fine 
spring  and  we  hoped  to  have  fairer  fields  in  time;  so  that  is  how  our 
parish  got  its  name."  We  know  of  no  spring  which  more  fully  bears 
out  the  poet's  description: 

"Always  the  same  on  the  fresh  May  days, 

Or  in  the  summer's  burning  heat ; 

It  bubbles,  and  flows,  and  softly  sings, 

Of  the  clearest,  purest,  loveliest  things, 

In  a  voice  that  is  low  and  sweet." 

127 


APPENDIX 

LITTLE  BROOK,  as  it  was  early  called,  forms  one  of  the  tribu- 
taries of  Trout  brook  and  rises  on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad. 
It  is  so  far  afield  that  it  is  seldom  or  never  seen  by  many  residents  of 
the  town. 

4-       4-       4* 

CLAY  BROOK  carries  us  back  in  imagination  to  the  time  when 
the  early  settlers  dug  clay  here  for  their  dwellings.  Bricks 
were  burned  in  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  which  were  used  by 
the  inhabitants  in  the  building  of  their  houses,  and  the  brook  gets  its 
name  from  this  practice.  Clay  lots  were  sometimes  selected  and 
deeded  from  father  to  son.  Clay  brook  has  its  source  in  the  low  land 
back  of  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house,  between  Church  and  Haven 
streets.    It  flows  through  a  secluded  section  of  the  town. 

4-       4*       4- 

NOANET  BROOK  bears  a  significant  name.  It  was  called  for 
an  Indian  chief  who  lived  on  its  banks  and  set  his  weirs  in 
Charles  river,  where  he  caught  salmon,  shad  and  alewives  and  taught 
this  method  to  the  whites.  Early  attempts  were  made  to  establish 
mills  on  this  stream,  but  all  ultimately  failed.  Noanet  brook  rises  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedar  hill,  and  empties 
into  Charles  river.  It  flows  through  a  picturesque  and  beautiful  sec- 
tion of  the  town. 

4*       4-       4- 

MILL  BROOK  rises  in  Westwood,  flows  northward  across  the 
easterly  part  of  Dover,  and  empties  into  Charles  river.  The 
first  settlement  in  Dover  was  made  on  this  brook,  which  watered  the 
farmer's  stock.  It  flows  through  wooded  fields,  where  the  barberry 
and  other  shrubs  abound.  The  beaver  dam,  recalled  by  old  residents, 
was  on  this  stream  and  for  many  years  appealed  to  the  imagination  of 
all  visitors.  Perhaps  the  first  forest  trees  were  felled  by  the  beaver 
and  the  branches  gnawed  off  and  carried  to  this  stream.  The  follow- 
ing description  of  the  beaver  is  given  by  Dr.  Samuel  Willard  of  Ver- 
mont, who  knew  the  animal  well:  "In  no  animal  does  the  social 
instinct  and  habit  appear  more  strong  or  universal  than  in  the  beaver. 
Wherever  a  number  of  these  animals  are  found,  they  immediately 
associate  and  combine  in  society,  to  pursue  their  common  business  and 

128 


'      -'    *  APPENDIX 

welfare.  Everything  is  done  by  the  united  counsels  and  labor  of  the 
whole  community.  Their  societies  are  generally  called  together  in  the 
month  of  June  or  July,  all  of  which  immediately  engage  in  a  joint 
effort  to  promote  the  common  business  and  safety  of  the  whole 
society;  apparently  acting  under  a  common  inclination  and  direction. 
The  society  of  beavers  seems  to  be  regulated  and  governed  altogether 
by  natural  dispositions  and  laws.  Their  society,  in  all  its  pursuits 
and  operations,  appear  to  be  a  society  of  peace  and  mutual  affection, 
guided  by  one  principle  and  under  the  same  direction.  Their  asso- 
ciations and  management  have  the  aspect  of  a  pure  and  perfect 
democracy  founded  on  the  principle  of  perfect  equality  and  the  strong- 
est mutual  attachment.  This  principle  seems  to  be  sufficient'  to  pre- 
serve the  most  perfect  harmony  and  to  regulate  all  the  proceedings 
of  their  large  society.  This  brook  takes  its  name  from  the  fact  that 
a  saw  mill  was  built  on  its  banks,  near  the  home  of  the  late  Ephraim 
Wilson  at  an  early  date  for  the  sawing  of  ship  timber. 

•!«       ^       4* 

TUBWRECK  BROOK  is  of  interest  as  the  northerly  source  of 
the  Neponset  river.  The  social  life  of  the  people  of  the  time 
is  well  illustrated  in  the  naming  of  this  stream.  It  happened  one 
spring  when  the  meadows  were  flooded,  that  there  were  an  abundance 
of  cranberries  floating  down  the  stream,  which  James  Tisdale  desired 
to  gather.  As  he  had  no  boat  at  hand,  he  brought  out  his  big  hog  tub 
and  proceeded  to  scoop  up  the  cranberries  from  the  water.  The  craft 
proved  unmanageable  and  he  soon  capsized.  Scrambling  out  of  the 
water,  he  made  his  way  to  the  house,  supposing  that  no  one  outside 
of  his  family  had  witnessed  the  scene.  But  Caleb  Smith  chanced  to 
be  riding  horseback  on  the  turnpike  and  saw  the  affair.  He  was  so 
convulsed  with  laughter  at  the  performance  that  he  fell  from  his  horse, 
but  gathering  himself  up,  mounted,  and  rode  to  West  Dedham,  where 
he  spread  the  news.  Mr.  Tisdale  was  immediately  called  "The 
Admiral."  He  was  presented  with  nautical  instruments,  log  books, 
and  tables  for  reckoning  longitude  and  latitude,  a  sailor's  rig,  and 
a  great  variety  of  provisions  such  as  are  used  in  stocking  a  merchant- 
ship.  Ship  papers  were  made  out,  and  he  received  many  letters  of 
sympathy  and  advice  with  offers  of  help  for  future  voyages. 

129 


APPENDIX 

The  "Admiral"  wrote  an  account  of  the  voyage  on  which  he  met 
with  this  great  disaster,  a  verse  of  which  is  recalled  as  follows: 

"I  sailed  from  off 
Of  Turnpike  wharf 

As  bold  as  any  rover, 
And  swore  that  none 
Should  laugh  or  scoff 
At  the  seamen  of  High  Dover." 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  some  of  the  industries  that  have  had  a 
beginning  on  this  stream  farther  down  in  Milton  and  Dorchester  as  it 
winds  to  the  sea.  On  its  banks  the  first  grist  mill  in  New  England 
was  built  in  1634;  the  first  powder  mill  in  the  colony  in  1675;  the 
first  paper  mill  in  the  colony  in  1728,  the  first  chocolate  mill  in  the 
colony  in  1765;  the  first  slitting  mill  in  the  colony  in  1710.  Ship- 
building was  commenced  on  the  Neponset  as  early  as  1640,  and  the 
first  railroad  in  the  United  States  was  built  from  the  quarries  in 
Quincy  to  a  point  on  the  Neponset  river  in  1826,  to  carry  the  granite 
used  in  building  Bunker  Hill  Monument. 

This  stream  is  called  MILL  BROOK  in  Medfield,  as  the  first  mill 
in  that  town  was  built  upon  its  banks,  probably  in  the  spring  of  1652, 
by  George  Barber.  We  can  say  of  this  brook  what  the  Indian  said  of 
the  stream  in  Cooper's  "Last  of  the  Mohicans":  "Does  not  this  stream 
at  our  feet  run  toward  the  summer,  until  its  waters  grow  salt,  and  the 
current  flows  upward." 

4"       4-       4- 

NORTH  BROOK,  in  Medfield,  rises  in  the  westerly  part  of 
Dover,  flows  southward,  and  empties  into  Charles  river.  This 
brook  turns  the  wheels  of  the  mill  on  North  street,  and  the  saw  mill 
at  Medfield  Junction.  It  flows  through  an  exceptionally  open  country 
and  adds  to  its  beauty  and  fertility.    Some  of  the  first-settled  farms  in 

both  Dover  and  Medfield  were  watered  by  this  stream. 

^       4*       4* 

THE  Apostle  Eliot  in  his  Indian  settlement  at  Natick  was  deter- 
mined in  his  efforts  to  extend  the  bounds  on  the  east  as  far 
as  Trout  brook.    This  fact  was  established  by  the  Rev.  John  Allin  of 

130 


APPENDIX 

Dedham  in  1661,  who  said  that  it  was  Mr.  Eliot*s  request  "that  he 
have  a  grant  of  Dedham  lands  unto  a  certain  brook  about  a  mile 
on  this  side  of  Natick  hill,  toward  our  town."  Mr.  Eliot  early  com- 
menced to  build  a  saw-mill  on  this  stream,  but  was  prevented  from 
completing  his  work  by  the  Dedham  settlers.  Joshua  Fisher  said  in 
1661  "that  when  the  town  heard  Mr.  Eliot  was  about  to  erect  a  mill 
about  a  mile  this  side  of  Natick,  the  town  sent  for  him  to  forbear  till 
he  might  have  the  approbation  of  the  town."  This  was  probably  in 
1653.  When  Gov.  Endicott  visited  the  Indian  village*  in  1651,  the 
subject  of  building  a  mill  was  discussed.  After  dinner  the  company 
went  out  to  view  a  place  for  it,  and  as  Eliot  commenced  his  operations 
on  Trout  brook,  this  was  doubtless  one  of  the  spots  visited  by  his 
excellency.  The  mill  referred  to  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Haven  of  Ded- 
ham, in  his  centennial  sermon,  which  he  states  was  never  completed, 
was  doubtless  this  attempted  effort.  Mill  operations  were  confined 
at  this  period  to  brooks,  as  large  streams  had  not  been  dammed  even 
in  England.  Mr.  Eliot  finally  succeeded  in  building  a  saw-mill  in 
1658,  on  Saw  Mill  brook,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Wellesley.  With 
the  growth  of  population,  on  the  territory  of  Dedham,  saw-mills  became 
a  prime  necessity.  The  land  was  covered  with  the  original  forests 
and  the  timber  was  much  needed  for  building  purposes.  Hard  wood 
abounded,  which  in  later  years  gave  place  to  soft  woods  in  the  suc- 
cession of  forest  growth.  The  falls,  at  what  is  now  called  Charles 
River,  were  early  found  to  furnish  just  the  place  for  the  location  of  a 
saw  millf  to  accommodate  the  increasing  settlers.  A  dam  was  thrown 
across  the  river  at  this  point,  and  a  mill  built  by  Daniel  and  Joshua 
Fisher  after  King  Philip's  War.J  The  Fishers  lived  in  Needham 
and  owned  land  on  both  sides  of  Charles  river.  John  Fisher  sold  to 
Nathaniel  Chickering  a  third  interest  in  his  saw  mill,  which  was 

♦To  the  Inventory  named  in  the  address  given  on  the  occasion  of  the 
unveiling  of  the  tablet  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Indians  should  be 
added  the  toboggan,  which  the  Indians  seem  to  have  used  as  a  sled  of 
burden,  and  not  as  a  pleasure  chariot. 

tFor  other  mills  and  industries  see  Narrative  History  of  Dover. 

tHorage  Mann  In  Field  Day  papers,  South  Natick  Historical  Society,  1883. 

m 


APPENDIX 

located,  in  1733,  on  the  Dover  side.  Mr.  Fisher  parted  with  the 
remaining  two-thirds  interest  in  the  land  in  Dedham,  in  1739, 
bounded  "north,  east  and  west  by  Charles  river,"  to  his  son-in-law, 
Caleb  Wheaton,  reserving  the  mill  property  and  a  right  of  way,  but 
giving  Mr.  Wheaton  permission  to  built  a  "fulling  mill"  at  the  south 
of  the  mill  dam.  Mills  of  this  kind  were  in  demand  for  the  purpose 
of  fulling  and  dyeing  home-made  cloth.  It  will  be  seen  that  there 
was  variety  in  manufactures  here  even  before  1800,  when  Josiah 
Newell,  George  Bird  and  George  Fisher  of  Needham,  and  Jonathan 
Ellis  of  Boston  became  interested  and  an  extensive  plant  was  estab- 
lished. A  new  dam  was  built  across  the  river  which  was  spoken  of 
as  the  "new  dam"*  in  1795.  A  paper  mill  was  built  on  the  Need- 
ham  side  of  the  river  which  continued  in  operation  for  a  century,  or 
until  the  property  was  destroyed  by  fire  a  few  years  since.  Iron  works 
were  built  on  the  Dover  side  previous  to  the  year  1800,  consisting  of 
a  slitting  mill,  rolling  mill,  triphammer,  bellows,  nail  and  brad  works. 
When  in  1787  a  mint  was  established  by  the  legislature  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  mint  master  ordered  to  commence  the  coining  of 
cents  and  half  cents,  he  experienced  great  difficulty,  as  there  were  no 
rolling  mills  in  America.  A  mill  for  the  rolling  and  hammering  of 
metal  used  in  coining  was  put  in  operation  in  Dedham  in  1787  or 
1788,  followed  a  few  years  later  by  the  establishment  of  rolling  mills 
in  Dover,  which  were  among  the  early  rolling  mills  of  America.  At 
this  time  steps  were  taken  to  locate  a  grist  mill  on  the  north  side  and 
a  new  saw  mill  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  saw  mill  was 
located  on  the  creek,  the  right  having  been  purchased  of  Lemuel  Rich- 
ards "to  sink,  dig,  and  enlarge  said  creek."  Both  mills  appear  to  have 
been  built  in  1795,  and  were  especially  protected  in  their  privileges. 
The  grist  mill  was  given  permission  to  "draw  water  till  it  falls  four- 
teen inches  below  the  top  of  the  plate  of  said  new  dam,  and  no  other 

*The  new  dam  laid  down  by  William  Ellis  on  the  map  of  Dover  published 
in  1831  was  never  completed.  When  in  the  development  of  the  water 
power  at  Charles  River  the  new  dam  was  put  in  there  was  great  rivalry 
between  the  owners  of  this  dam  and  Ralph  Day,  who  was  buliding  the  new 
one  further  down  the  stream.  Work  was  pushed  night  and  day,  and  as  the 
dam  at  Newell's  bridge  was  completed  first,  it  made  Mr.  Day's  dam  useless, 
and  so  it  was  never  completed;  the  foundation  stones,  however,  can  still 
be    seen    at   low   water. 

132 


APPENDIX 

than  the  gate  of  the  paper  mill  shall  draw  to  the  damage  of  said  grist 
mill  after  the  water  falls  two  inches  below  the  top  of  said  plate,  except- 
ing also  a  privilege  for  a  saw  mill  on  the  creek,  in  Dover,  which  is 
not  to  draw  water  to  the  damage  of  other  mills  till  it  covers  a  hole 
made  in  a  rock  at  the  head  of  the  creek  when  the  gates  of  the  old  dam 
are  shut,  or  a  lower  mark  on  said  rock  when  the  gates  of  the  old  dam 
are  drawn." 

With  the  development  of  the  paper  business  the  grist  mill  was  given 
up  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  one  was  established  in  connec- 
tion with  the  old  saw  mill  which  was  in  operation  up  to  1853.  Soon 
after  that  date  both  mills  were  discontinued. 

In  1853  Goss  &  Russell  formed  a  partnership  and  purchased  all 
of  the  mill  property  at  what  was  then  called  "Dover  Mills."  They 
soon  converted  the  property  into  a  paper-mill  plant.  New  buildings 
were  erected,  modern  machinery  introduced,  and  a  large  business  was 
developed.  Later  Frederick  Barden,  Otis  Pettee,  Elijah  Perry, 
Samuel  Newell  and  others  carried  on  the  business.  About  1860  Wil- 
liam Hill  &  Sons,  took  up  the  manufacture  of  sheathing  paper  which 
they  carried  on  for  many  years.  All  the  teaming  was  done  by  horses 
before  the  building  of  the  railroad,  an  occupation  which  furnished 
employment  to  quite  a  number  of  men  in  carting  the  material  and 
merchandise  between  the  mills  and  Boston. 

Southward  from  the  mills  at  Charles  River,  and  some  distance 
above  Dedham  street  on  Noanet  brook,  was  the  unfinished  mill  of 
David  Wight.  Thomas  Richards  purchased  the  property  in  1753  of 
the  administrator  of  Mr.  Wight's  estate.  This  mill  lot  was  thirteen 
rods  square,  with  the  brook  running  through  the  middle  of  it.  Mr. 
Richards  received  with  the  lot  "all  ye  labor  that  ye  said  David  Wight 
did  do  toward  ye  making  of  a  dam  upon  said  premises  in  order  for 
said  mill."  Mr.  Richards  completed  the  work  and  had  a  saw  mill  in 
operation,  which  was  followed  a  half  century  later  by  the  building  of 
the  "New  Mill,"  by  the  Dover  Union  Iron  Company,  north  of  the  saw 
mill  site. 

There  was  a  small  keg  mill  still  farther  down  the  stream  which 
was  built  by  Calvin  Richards  in  1851.  The  mill  was  leased  by  Perez 
Fearing  for  two  years,  followed  by  Rodney  Hodgson,  W.  Mason  Rich- 

133 


APPENDIX 

ards  and  Lewis  Smith.  The  latter  manufactured  shoe  filling  here, 
supplementing  the  water  power  with  horse  power.  The  horse  attached 
to  the  moving  beam,  is  still  recalled  by  the  older  residents  of  the 
town,  as  he  went  round  and  round  the  circle.  William  A.  Howe  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Smith  in  the  business  and  took  the  machinery  to  Charles 
River,  but  soon  removed  to  Main  street,  where  he  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness for  many  years.  Power  was  gained  through  the  tread  mill. 
To-day,  by  means  of  electrical  power,  the  motor  can  be  employed  in 
any  part  of  the  town  and  in  any  industry. 

The  mill  was  burned  in  1860  and  was  not  rebuilt. 

Luther  Richards  built  a  shop  on  Strawberry  hill  where  for  several 
years  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  glue.  In  the  early  sixties  this 
building  was  converted  into  a  dwelling  house,  which  is  still  standing 
on  the  hill. 

Henry  H.  Ayers  bought  in  1851  the  little  farm  on  County 
street,  since  known  as  the  Leeds  place.  Here  with  his  shop  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road  he  manufactured  furniture  until  1861,  when 
he  gave  up  his  business  and  entered  the  army.  He  always  had  a 
number  of  apprentices  whom  he  taught  the  trade  of  the  cabinet  maker. 
While  he  manufactured  much  furniture  for  local  dealers  he  made  a 
specialty  of  tables. 

In  the  south  part  of  the  town,  Samuel  Fisher,  who  inherited  the 
Powisset  farm,  built  a  saw  mill  in  1783,  which  is  still  remembered. 
The  mills  on  Noanet  brook  were  all  a  disappointment,  as  the  flow  of 
water  was  not  adequate  for  mill  purposes. 

Ephraim  Wilson  erected  a  saw  mill  early  in  the  settlement  of  the 
town  on  Mill  brook,  which  was  used  for  many  years  in  squaring  two 
sides  of  the  ship  timber  which  was  cut  in  the  vicinity  for  the  Boston 
market. 

John  and  Joseph  Draper  had  a  dam  on  Trout  brook,  which  was 
spoken  of  in  1753  as  the  new  dam.     It  extended  across  the  meadows 

134 


APPENDIX 

and  formed  a  part  of  Springdale  avenue  as  now  laid  out,  but  there  is 
no  evidence  that  a  mill  was  ever  built  here.  Further  south  John 
Brown  utilized  the  stream  with  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  which  was 
abandoned  after  some  years,  as  the  water  supply  was  inadequate. 
There  was  a  shoe  shop  on  the  training  field,  probably  built  by  John 
Williams,  where  boots  and  shoes  were  made  for  the  market.  Here 
Samuel  B.  Scott  and  Leonard  Maring,  both  of  whom  took  brides  from 
the  town,  worked  at  their  trade.  Nearly  opposite,  and  in  connection 
with  the  tavern,  was  a  shop  for  the  making  and  repairing  of  shoes 
where  H.  and  Z.  Moore  worked  for  the  residents  of  the  town.  This 
was  before  the  day  of  prepared  stock,  and  everything  was  cut  out 
and  made  by  hand  from  leather  tanned  in  town.  The  low  bench  and 
the  walls  adorned  with  boot  and  shoe  lasts  remained  intact  until  the 
building  was  burned  in  1908. 

With  the  introduction  of  trade  between  Boston  and  the  Indies,  there 
was  created  a  demand  for  casks  and  bogheads.  Having  an  abundance 
of  suitable  wood,  several  coopers  commenced  to  manufacture  casks  here 
as  early  as  1725.  This  business  was  carried  on  especially  by  Asa 
Mason  on  Pine  street,  Samuel  Allen  on  County  street,  Ebenezer  Newell 
and  Asa  Richards  on  Strawberry  hill,  and  Edward  Bowers.  Oak  trun- 
nels,  which  were  used  in  ship  building,  were  also  made  on  many  farms 
in  the  winter  season,  and  were  piled  in  long  rows  or  tiers  by  the 
roadside. 

While  women  engaged  in  spinning,  weaving  was  too  hard  employ- 
ment for  them,  and  so  weaving  shops  were  set  up  in  different  parts 
of  the  town,  where  the  thwacking  of  the  loom  was  heard  from  morning 
until  night.  Weaving  shops  were  located  on  the  farms  of  Jesse  Newell 
on  Center  street,  Josiah  Richards  on  Strawberry  hill,  John  Griggs  on 
Dedham  street,  Thomas  Burrage  on  Farm  street  and  John  Burrage  on 
Center  street.  Husk  collars  for  work  horses  were  made  on  some  farms 
for  many  years.  They  were  braided  from  the  inner  husks  of  com  and 
were  both  light  and  cool  for  the  summer.  Collars  were  also  made  from 
straw.  Braided  husk  door  mats  were  made  in  every  home  and  were 
in  general  use  until  near  the  close  of  the  19th  century. 

It  is  interesting  in  connection  with  these  industries  to  note  the 
changes  which  have  gradually  taken  place  in  the  employment  of  the 

135 


APPENDIX 

people  of  this  town — as  illustrated  by  the  accompanying  map — from 
the  time  when  by  every  fireside  the  hum  of  the  spinning  wheel  was 
heard,  and  on  some  farms  the  thwack  of  the  loom ;  when  every  house- 
wife made  her  own  candles,  soap,  butter  and  cheese,  knit  the  stockings 
and  made  the  clothing  for  the  family;  when  the  women  folks  in  gen- 
eral engaged  in  making  quilts,  braiding  mats,  braiding  straw,  clos- 
ing shoes,  weaving  palm  leaf,  and  in  sewing  straw  hats  and  bonnets; 
when  farmers  had,  in  connection  with  their  farms,  blacksmith's 
shops,  shoe  shops,  weaving  shops,  cooper's  shops,  and  cabinet  maker's 
shops;  when  scattered  over  the  town  were  carpenter's  shops,  slaughter 
houses,  cider  mills,  a  brush  shop,  whip  shop,  wheelwright's  shop, 
plow  and  axe  factory,  glue  factory,  keg  mill,  shingle  mill,  shoe  "fill- 
ing" mills,  cigar  shops,  grist  mills,  saw  mills,  fulling  mill,  rolling 
mills,  slitting  mills,  nail  factory,  paper  mills,  organ  factory,  printing 
plant,  brick  kiln,  tannery  and  currying  shop,  with  the  cutting  of  ship 
timber,  the  burning  of  charcoal,  the  shaving  of  hoops,  the  peeling  of 
bark,  the  manufacture  of  cider  vinegar,  pig-sticking,  and  the  produc- 
tion of  beef  and  pork.  These  industries  furnished  diversity  in  the 
employment  of  a  people  who  at  best  led  but  a  monotonous  life.  Of 
these  industries  only  the  blacksmith's  shop  and  the  cider  mill  remain. 
As  soon  as  the  country  began  to  be  settled,  apple  orchards  were  cul- 
tivated, not  for  the  fruit  alone,  but  more  especially  for  the  making 
of  cider,  which  was  consumed  in  large  quantities.  The  cider  mug 
added  greatly  to  the  sociability  of  the  times. 

"Not  a  guest  upon  the  threshold  got  a  more  benignant  smile 
Than  when  upon  a  platter,  flanked  by  apples  and  by  pears, 
The  pewter  pitcher  rose  splashing  full  of  cider  up  the  dark  old  cellar 
stairs." 

Cider  presses  were  set  up  on  many  of  the  old  farms.*  The  location 
of  a  dozen  such  presses  can  now  be  definitely  given.  The  first  cider 
press  in  town  was  located  on  the  farm  of  Henry  Wilson,  the  first 
settler.  Here  has  been  illustrated  in  the  years  that  have  passed,  the 
entire  evolution  in  the  process  of  cider  making  from  the  hand  press  of 

*  For  the  location  of  all  town  cider  mills  see  "Procedings  150th  Anniversary 
Celebration,"  page  58. 

136 


APPfiNlDlX 

two  hundred  years  ago  to  the  steam  cider  mill  of  yesterday.  The  first 
mill  stood  out  of  doors,  with  only  a  roof  over  the  press.  This  was  the 
most  primitive  kind  of  a  mill,  and  by  its  use  cider  making  was  a 
very  laborious  process.  Later  mills  were  built  one  story  with  a  base- 
ment, and  were  usually  located  on  a  side  hill,  which  facilitated  the 
unloading  of  apples.  A  sunny  exposure  was  selected  for  the  mill,  as 
it  was  often  late  in  the  fall  before  it  closed  and  cold  weather  interfered 
with  the  work  when  the  mill  occupied  an  exposed  position.  By  the 
old  method  cider  was  made  in  wooden  mills.  Not  a  particle  of  iron 
was  allowed  to  come  in  contact  with  the  juice  of  the  apple,  lest  a  dis- 
agreeable taste  and  bad  color  should  be  imparted  to  the  cider.  Only 
wooden  shovels  were  used  in  handling  the  pulp  or  pomace  as  it  was 
called. 

In  order  to  heighten  the  color  of  the  cider,  the  pomace  was  carried 
into  a  long  trough,  where  it  was  allowed  to  stand  for  hours  and  often 
over  night,  before  it  was  shoveled  on  to  the  press. 

The  mill  proper  was  situated  in  the  basement  and  consisted  of  a 
long  trough,  capable  of  holding  at  least  a  hundred  bushels  of  apples 
when  ground  into  pulp.     Midway  of  this  trough  and  across  it  was 


Notes. — A  word  might  be  added  about  the  home  preserving  of  foods. 
The  women  had  no  need  of  cold  storage;  in  summer,  when  eggs  were 
plentiful,  and  before  water  glass  came  into  use,  they  were  put  down  in 
salt  to  be  drawn  upon  when  the  hens  failed  to  lay  eggs  in  early  winter. 
In  the  spring  the  home-made  sausage  was  fried  and  preserved  in  its  own 
fat  in  stone  jars,  thus  extending  the  use  of  pork  products  far  beyond  the 
usual  season.  With  the  drying  of  apples,  huckleberries,  and  stewed  pump- 
kin, and  the  making  of  cider  apple  sauce,  jellies  and  jams,  came — after 
they  had  been  extended  to  general  use — the  preserving  of  tomatoes  in  her- 
metically sealed  large-mouthed  glass  bottles.  The  first  tomatoes  raised  in 
this  country  were  grown  from  seed  brought  from  England  and  were 
planted  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  soon  after  1830.  Like  potatoes,  when 
first  introduced,  they  were  thought  to  be  poisonous.  The  tomato  was 
often  called  by  our  grandmothers  "the  cancer  plant,"  as  many  believed  it 
to  be  the  cause  of  this  terrible  disease.  Now  the  tomato  is  one  of  the  most 
largely  consumed  vegetable  grown  in  America. 

From  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  pork  products  were  preserved  by 
pickling,  but  the  custom  v\^as  long  ago  abandoned  and  the  recipe  for 
"pickled  shoulder"  is  no  longer  found  in  the  old  homesteads, 

137 


Appendix 

framed  a  heavy  timber,  upon  which  was  set,  side  by  side,  two  vertical 
wooden  nuts  with  corrugated  surfaces  that  interlocked.  These  nuts 
turned  on  an  axis,  the  lower  end  fitted  into  a  hole  in  the  cross  timber, 
while  the  upper  end  was  framed  into  a  large  horizontal  beam  made 
from  the  whole  trunk  of  a  tree;  one  of  the  long  limbs  of  which  when 
inverted  furnished  a  natural  crook,  to  which  a  horse  was  hitched, 
which  furnished  the  motive  power.  The  horse  was  driven  around 
the  trough  in  a  large  circle.  His  bridle  was  often  fastened  to  a  pole 
stuck  into  the  horizontal  timber  on  the  opposite  side,  so  that  when  he 
started  he  virtually  led  himself  in  an  endless  round. 

A  hopper  was  hung  from  the  lower  ends  of  the  nuts,  into  which 
the  apples  were  shoveled  from  above  and  sliding  down  against  the 
revolving  coggs,  were  crushed  into  pulp.  A  boy  with  a  wooden  paddle 
kept  the  surface  of  the  nuts  clear  from  the  pomace  which  adhered  to 
them  during  the  process  of  grinding. 

The  pomace  was  placed  on  the  press  with  first  a  layer  of  clean  rye 
straw  and  then  a  layer  of  pomace.  The  press  was  built  of  narrow 
boards,  locked  at  the  corners,  with  spaces  between  each  for  the  juice 
to  escape.     The  press  was  built  up  log-house  fashion,  and  could  be 

Amid  the  comfort  and  luxury  of  Dover  homes  of  to-day  it  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  before  the  early  forties  the  fireplace  furnished  the 
only  means  of  heating  and  cooking.  While  the  living  room  was  comfort- 
able in  winter  the  "entry" — as  the  hall  was  called — and  the  chambers  were 
as  cold  and  cheerless  as  they  could  be.  In  homes  as  late  as  1858  even  the 
"best  room"  was  carpetless;  but  where  a  son  had  married  and  brought 
home  a  bride  the  parlor  floor  was  likely  to  have  a  carpet  by  the  middle 
of  the  last  century,  but  in  many  homes  the  cooking  stove  came  even  later. 
The  house  of  Benjamin  Newell,  on  Mill  street,  which  was  purchased  by 
Edmund  B.  Otis  in  1867  and  remodelled,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first 
house  in  Dover  to  be  heated  throughout. 

There  was  no  "book  farming"  on  these  old  farms,  as  agricultural  books 
were  looked  upon  with  "good-humored  contempt,"  yet  the  New  England 
Farmer,  established  in  1822,  was  read  in  some  families,  and  the  Boston 
Cultivator,  first  published  in  1843,  was  often  found  in  the  home  of  even 
the  smallest  farmer,  as  its  several  departments  appealed  to  the  family  and 
its  reports  of  the  Brighton  Market  were  found  reliable. 

On  every  farm  there  was  the  set  kettle,  holding  about  thirty  gallons,  in 
which  water  was  heated  for  farm  purposes,  food  for  animals  cooked,  soap 

138 


APPENDIX 

carried  to  any  desired  height,  and  adjusted  to  a  large  or  small  quantity 
of  apples. 

The  floor  of  the  press  was  made  of  three-inch  plank  and  was  per- 
fectly tight.  It  projected  a  foot  or  more  beyond  the  side  of  the  rack, 
where  the  pomace  was  placed,  and  around  its  outside  edge  was  a 
groove,  or  deep  channel  where  the  juice  was  caught  as  it  flowed  from 
the  press  and  carried  to  the  tub,  from  which  it  was  put  into  barrels. 

After  the  rack  had  been  filled  with  pomace,  a  wooden  cover  was 
placed  on  top,  a  large  timber  was  then  laid  on,  into  which  had  been 
cut  places  for  the  beveled  heads  of  the  immense  wooden  screws  which 
were  hung  in  a  massive  timber  directly  above.  In  the  heads  of  these 
screws  were  large  holes  into  which  horn  beam  levers  were  thrust,  and 
after  the  screws  had  been  adjusted,  they  were  turned  down  by  means 
of  these  levers  which  gave  an  enormous  pressure.  The  screws  were 
tightened  at  short  intervals  during  the  day.  The  next  morning  the 
rack  was  removed  and  the  pressure  relaxed.  The  cheese,  as  it  was 
called,  was  cut  down,  with  a  sharp  knife  so  as  to  leave  the  base  con- 
siderably larger  than  the  top.  The  trimmings  were  placed  on  top 
of  the  cheese  and  the  screws  again  turned  down  until  the  remaining 
juice  was  extracted.    The  cheese  was  usually  removed  from  the  press 

made,  and  on  washing  days  the  clothes  boiled.  The  set  kettle  was  often 
placed  in  an  attachment  to  the  kitchen  which  also  held  the  cheese  press. 

As  late  as  the  centennial  year  some  farmers  wore  long  frocks  on  all 
occasions  of  business.  These  frocks  were  cut  after  the  pattern  of  a  shirt, 
and  were  made  from  blue  all-wool  frocking,  of  which  there  was  consider- 
able variety  in  weight  and  mixture.  The  best  material  was  found  in 
Brighton  stores,  where  it  was  in  demand  by  butchers,  traders  and  drovers, 
as  well  as  farmers. 

In  every  household  there  was  the  bed  wrench,  which  was  used  in  setting 
up  the  cord  bedstead  found  for  nearly  two  centuries  in  Dover  homes.  In 
setting  up  a  bed  the  cord  couldn't  be  drawn  taut  enough  with  the  hand, 
and  so  the  bed  wrench  which  gave  a  leverage  when  tangled  in  the  rope, 
was  used,  and  the  cord  thus  brought  to  a  condition  of  satisfactory  taut- 
ness.  As  the  work  went  on  the  rope  was  held  in  place  by  a  wooden  plug 
driven  into  the  small  hole  through  which  the  rope  passed,  and  thus  the 
corder  went  from  side  to  side,  holding  fast  all  that  he  had  gained  by 
inserting  the  wooden  plug.  The  setting  up  of  the  cord  bed  was  one  of 
the  most  difficult  and  perplexing  tasks  that  anyone  was  ever  called  upon 

139 


APPENDIX 

to  the  roadside,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill,  where  it  was  left  in  large 
heaps  to  decay  or  to  be  carted  away  by  neighboring  farmers. 

The  apples  were  drawn  to  the  mill  by  an  ox  team.  The  barrels  to 
receive  the  cider  were  often  placed  on  top  of  the  load.  The  driver 
frequently  had  to  wait  his  turn  to  unload  at  the  mill.  Every  farmer 
who  brought  apples  had  a  place  partitioned  off  to  him  by  means  of 
adjustable  boards.  The  apples  were  measured  by  the  bushel,  and  a 
boy  was  usually  sent  to  tally  off  the  load.  A  slanting  chalk  mark  was 
made  for  each  bushel  on  a  large  board,  and  every  fifth  line  was 
drawn  across  the  others,  so  that  the  tally  was  in  groups  of  five  and 
easily  counted.  The  farmer  took  in  return  four  gallons  of  cider  for 
every  bushel  of  apples  delivered  and  in  later  years  paid  fifty  cents  a 
barrel  for  manufacturing.  Cider  made  from  apples  gathered  in  the 
late  fall  is  the  best,  and  that  manufactured  from  russet  apples  excels 
all  other.  Everyone  was  granted  the  privilege  of  freely  drinking 
cider  at  the  press  and  children  with  long  rye  straws,  through  which 
they  sucked  the  sweet  cider  as  it  flowed  from  the  press,  were  often  as 
thick  as  the  bees  around  the  apples.  During  the  fall  the  cider  mill 
imparted  to  the  locality  an  air  of  bustling  activity  which  is  missed 
today. 

to  do  in  the  household.  On  the  web  of  the  bed  cord  the  straw  tick  was 
placed  with  its  big  slit,  where  fresh  rye  straw  or  corn  husks  were  put  in 
from  time  to  time.  On  top  of  this  tick  the  live  geese  feather  bed  was 
placed,  which  would  nearly  bury  one  out  of  sight  when  he  got  into  it  by 
aid  of  the  stepladder  still  used  in  some  country  homes. 

Every  house  had  in  the  cellar  its  swinging  shelf  on  which  was  ranged 
home-made  jams,  jellies,  pickles  and  preserves  all  neatly  labelled  and 
sealed.^ 

A  fashionable  woman's  club  recently  held  a  quilting  party.  We  are  told 
that  a  professional  quilter  had  to  be  hired  to  do  the  actual  work,  but  that 
in  all  other  respects  "the  occasion  was  very  realistic."  We  suppose  then, 
says  The  Evening  Mail,  that  the  men  folks  came  in  to  supper,  about  6 
or  7  o'clock,  while  the  quilt  was  still  on  the  frame,  with  the  old  ladies 
peering  at  it  through  their  silver-bowed  glasses,  and  thrusting  their 
needles  down  through  and  back  again,  making  the  last  stitches.  The  young 
women  and  the  girls,  of  course,  were  meantime  putting  the  finishing 
touches  on  the  supper,  while  the  men,  coming  in  soiled  after  the  day's 
work,  were  getting  their  overalls  off  in  the  woodshed,  and  grouping  them- 

140 


APPENDIX 

Cider  drinking  was  so  common  in  these  households  that  the  last 
person  to  get  up  in  the  morning  had  to  draw  the  cider  for  the  day. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century  the  cottage  type  of  farm  house 
was  giving  way  to  the  style  of  house  built  by  Amos  Wight  on  Farm 
street  and  Henry  Tisdale  on  Walpole  street.  The  never-failing 
springs,  from  which  the  early  settlers  got  their  water,  were  bein? 
abandoned  for  wells,  with  the  curb  and  windlass.  There  was  an  in- 
creasing acreage  of  tillage  land  with  greater  variety  in  the  cultivation 
of  cereals  and  garden  vegetables.  Fewer  farmers  were  on  the  road 
with  the  products  of  the  forest  and  more  employment  was  found  on 
home  farms.  Larger  herds  and  flocks  fed  in  the  pastures,  and  the 
fields  were  under  better  cultivation.  The  roads  were  being  improved 
with  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  farmers  to  accept  cartways,  which  had 
been  fenced  with  rails  and  gates,  and  to  develop  them  into  public 
highways. 

There  was  still  no  post  office;  letters  were  received  at  Dedham 
from  the  letter  post,  which  daily  passed  through  that  town.  Being 
off  the  direct  line  of  travel  Dover  was  not  even  a  stage  coach  town 
for  many  years.  Access  was  had  at  West  Needham  (Wellesley)  with 
coaches  for  Worcester,  and  at  Dedham  for  Bristol,  R.  I.  where  con- 
nection was  made  with  the  New  York  boats;  later  New  York  coaches 
were  run  over  the  Hartford  Turnpike  for  some  years.      Several  at- 

selves  around  the  water  tub  and  the  bucket  of  brown  soft-soap  and  box 
of  sand  just  outside  the  back  door. 

The  supper  consisted  of  sparerib,  baked  potatoes,  chicken  pie,  johnny 
cake,  hot  biscuits  and  molasses,  Indian  pudding  (half  rye),  pumpkin,  apple 
and  custard  pie,  and  tarts,  with  tea,  coffee  and  cider.  One  pitcher  of  the 
cider,  reserved  for  the  older  men,  was  quite  hard. 

After  supper  the  hanging  kerosene  lamp  in  the  settin'-room  was  lighted, 
and  the  men  went  in  to  criticise  the  quilt  and  recognize  the  patches.  In 
fact,  the  history  and  genealogy  of  every  square  in  the  quilt  was  gone  over 
searchingly,  unsparingly.    But  on  the  whole,  the  feeling  was  excellent. 

After  the  whole  party  had  loaded  itself  into  the  wagons,  except  the 
pairs  of  boys  and  girls  who  preferred  to  walk,  and  had  gone  home,  the 
family  went  in  and  took  a  proud  look  at  the  finished  quilt,  which  was  left  on 
the  frame  for  several  days  as  a  memorial  of  a  great  occasion. 

Perhaps  the  Club  had  all  this  at  its  quilting.  If  it  didn't  the  affair  was 
not  real  after  all. 

141 


APPENDIX 

tempts  were  made  before  the  building  of  the  railroad  to  establish  a 
daily  coach.  John  Williams  was  a  director  in  the  Woonsocket  line 
which  passed  through  Dover  for  a  time  and  stopped  at  his  tavern  for  a 
change  of  horses. 

After  the  opening  of  the  Post  Office  in  1829  there  was  for  some 
years  a  semi-weekly  mail  on  Wednesday  and  Saturday  from  Dedham. 
With  the  extension  in  1834  of  the  Boston  &  Worcester  railroad  to 
Grantville  (Wellesley  Hills)  Marshall  Newell  engaged  in  carrying 
the  Dover  mail,  several  times  a  week,  with  passengers  to  Grantville, 
where  later  (1850)  connections  were  made  by  a  daily  coach  which 
left  Dover  in  the  morning  and  returned  in  the  evening  with  passen- 
gers, the  mail,  and  daily  papers.  Connections  were  later  made  with 
Bailey's  coach  at  South  Natick.  After  the  opening  of  the  Charles 
River  Railroad  in  1853,  a  coach  was  run  to  Needham,  which  was 
later  extended  south  to  Medfield  and  Medway  by  way  of  Centre 
street.  This  line  was  continued  until  the  opening  of  the  Air  Line 
Railroad  to  Dover  in  1861.  A  century  ago  the  tavern  was  in  a 
flourishing  condition  and  the  proprietor,  John  Williams,  was  at  the 
height  of  his  business  career.  The  school  houses  were  full  of  children 
and  college  students  were  often  among  the  excellent  teachers  of  the 
town.  The  people  found  their  recreation  among  themselves,  yet 
the  social  life  was  good  and  abundant;  there  was  the  kindliest 
neighborly  feeling,  and  in  times  of  misfortune,  sickness,  or  death, 
the  deepest  sympathy  and  the  most  prompt  assistance.  A  few  weekly 
papers  found  their  way  into  the  town  and  circulated  in  the  homes; 
daily  papers,  however,  did  not  commence  to  be  read  until  after  the 

With  the  wealth  of  illustrations  which  this  volume  contains  it  is  re- 
gretted that  a  picture  could  not  be  given  of  the  "swimming  hole,"  where 
the  boys  for  generations  took  their  weekly  baths.  It  has  been  a  maxim 
taught  for  many  years  that  "cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness,"  and  so  during 
the  summer  months,  at  least,  the  men  and  boys  took  weekly  baths.  Going 
back  for  many  years  farmers,  after  haying  time,  often  made  day  trips  to 
the  seashore  for  salt  water  bathing.  Swimming  holes  were  common  on 
Charles  river,  and  in  Farm  pond,  Sherborn,  where  the  boys  in  the  west  part 
of  Dover  went  to  swim  on  Sunday  mornings ;  and  when  one  of  their  number 

142 


APPENDIX  - 

establishment  of  the  daily  mail,  and  even  then  were  largely  confined 
to  a  radius  of  a  mile  from  the  Post  Office.  After  the  opening  of  the 
railroad,  daily  papers,  especially  the  Boston  Herald,  were  found  in 
a  majority  of  homes.  The  books  of  the  little  circulating  library, 
probably  kept  in  the  centre  of  the  parish,  were  read  by  the  young  and 
exerted  an  uplifting  and  civilizing  influence  even  before  the  beginning 
of  the  19th  century. 

was  accidentally  drowned  in  early  July,  a  hard-fisted  old  farmer  remarked, 
"That  it  was  a  mighty  bad  time  for  a  boy  to  get  drowned  in  the  haying 
season."  A  half  century  ago  very  few  private  houses  anywhere  had  bath- 
tubs, although  the  custom  of  weekly  bathing  was  early  introduced  and 
practiced  to  some  extent,  but  "the  ordinary  wooden  tub  played  the  dual 
role  of  both  bath  tub  and  wash  tub  in  those  days."  Previous  to  fifty  years 
ago  there  were  no  bath  tubs  in  Dover  homes.  It  is  not  known  whether 
the  first  bath  tub  was  introduced  by  Eugene  Bachelder  or  Edmund  B.  Otis : 
both  remodeled  their  houses  about  the  same  time  and  introduced  modern 
improvements.  Now  even  the  shower  bath  is  found  in  every  well- 
appointed  garage  in  town,  and  bath  tubs  are  common  for  the  use  of 
domestics. 


143 


PICTURE  of  the  life  given  in  these  pages  has  been  well 
drawn  by  former  Governor  John  D.  Long,  in  the  follow- 
ing excerpts: 

The  environment  of  two  generations  ago  had  features. 
I  have  often  spoken  of  the  time  before  the  Civil  War  as  the  Golden 
Age.  The  population  was  homogeneous,  substantially  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  stock.  There  was  no  overcrowding  or  congestion.  The  rural 
people  held  their  prestige  and  the  boys  and  girls  filled  the  country 
schoolhouses,  many  of  which  have  now  been  abandoned.  Boys  learned 
trades,  and  the  leading  mechanics  of  Boston  were  its  officials.  Mayors, 
Aldermen  and  directors  of  its  charitable  institutions. 

There  was  always  easy  and  familiar  intercourse  between  all  classes, 
an  entire  personal  independence,  and  in  all  public  matters — the  Legis- 
lature, town  meeting  and  the  elections — absolute  equality.  Now  the 
town  meeting  is  a  thing  of  the  past  for  far  more  than  half  the  people 
of  Massachusetts;  it  was  then  the  government  of  nine- tenths  of  them. 
Crime  was  infrequent.  Robbery  and  burglary  and  the  like  were  so 
rare  that  any  such  case  was  a  cause  celehre.  Automobile,  railroad  and 
electric  car  accidents  with  loss  of  life  were  not  of  daily  occurrence.  In 
short,  there  had  then  come  little  or  nothing  of  the  swirling,  sweltering, 
crowding,  pushing  and  hauling  intensity  of  life  which  now  not  only 
in  business  but  in  our  so-called  recreations  and  amusements  keeps  us 
as  disquiet  and  tumultuous  as  com  popping  on  a  hot  skillet.  It  was 
as  near  the  day  of  the  simple  life  in  home  and  dress  and  entertainment 
and  business  as  we  shall  ever  come. 


144 


INDEX 


Adams,  Hiram,  50,  123;  James,  71. 

Alary,  Amelia  B.,  105. 

Allen,  Amos,  109;  Aaron,  2,  121; 
Benjamin,  2;  Calvin,  21,  23; 
David  E.,  23 ;  Eleazer,  2,  60 ; 
Eleazer,  Jr.,  51 ;  Hezekiah,  2, 
21,  28,  100;  Hezekiah,  Jr., 
21,22,30;  Jared,  29,  42,  123; 
Jeremiah,  79;  Joseph,  61; 
Joseph,  Jr.,  29;  Rev.  Mor- 
rell,  53;  Perez,  23;  Samuel, 
135;  Sumner,  29;  William  P., 
21,  23;  Timothy,  30,  51,  108: 
Zellah,  44. 

Allen  Homestead,  61 ;    Songs,  28, 

Allin,  Rev.  John,  130. 

Ambler,  Harvey,  53. 

Amusements,  11,  90. 

Animals,  9,  41. 

Arlington,  13. 

Astrology,  45. 

Austin,  James  W.,  24. 

Ayer,  Henry  H.,  121,  134;  Jesse, 
16 ;  Fisher,  71 ;  Mrs.  Fisher, 
56. 

Bachelder,  Eugene,  48. 

Bachelder,  John  P.,  29. 

Bacon,     Aaron,     21;     Albert,    44; 

Edward,  44,   102;    Ephraim, 

90;    Fanny,  47;   Francis,  47; 

Frank  E.,  49;    John,  2,  89; 

John,    Jr.,    2;     Martin,    10; 

Michael,  2,  89;   Richard,  48; 

Silas,  43. 
Bacon  School,  47. 

Baker,  Jabez,  75, 11,  86 ;  Jabez,  Jr.,  75. 
Baker's  cart,  13. 
Bakery,  20, 

1 


Bailey,   Marietta,  44;  Rev.  Timothy, 

44. 
Balls,  68. 
Balm  Gilead,  84. 
Baptist  Church,  44,  52. 
Barberry,  78. 

Barden,  Calvin,  73;    Frederick,  71, 
Barter,   110. 

Bartlett,  Albert,  20;  Clement,  86. 
Bathing,  142. 
Battelle,  Rev.  Allen  E.,  44 ;  Ebenezer, 

48,82,  102;   George,  7,  11,  12, 

26;    Hezekiah,  57;    John,  7, 

8,  11,  45,  51;    Jonathan,  48, 

52;     Jonathan,    Jr.,    2,    11; 

Josiah,      44;      Josiah,      Jr., 

45;     Nathaniel,    2,    48,    71; 

Rufus,     26;      Ralph,      111; 

Sherman,  44 ;   Thomas,  2,  48, 

91 ;   Winfred  W.,  12. 
"Battle  Row,"  42. 
Baltzell,  Wm.  Hewson.,  94. 
Bean,  Asa  S.,  46;  Charles  S.,  79. 
Beavers,  128. 
Beef,  40. 

iBeef  packing,  49. 
Bees,  20. 
Bell,  William,  18. 
Bigelow,  Abraham,  9,  12,  23 ;    Mrs. 

Abraham,  13 ;  Charles  A.,  74 ; 

Calvin,  43-73;  Edward  B.,  23; 

George  H.,  23 ;  William,  43. 
Blackman,  Warren,  16. 
Blacksmith  shops,  47. 
Blake,  Edward,  66;  Seth,  72. 
Bliss,  Linus,  20,  42,  48,  106. 
Bond,  Richard  H.,  87. 
Book  Farming,  137. 
Boot  Shop,  43. 
45 


INDEX 


"Boston  Road,"  78. 
Bowers,  Edward,  74,  135. 
Boyden,  Daniel,  86. 
Bradbury,  T.  W.,  121. 
Breagy,  John,  110. 
Brick,  1,  26,  128. 
Bridge  Street,  39. 
Brooks,  125. 


Christmas  Presents,  59, 

Church  Bell,  24. 

Church  Sexton,  24. 

Church  Street,  107. 

Cider  Mills,  24,  25,  38,  89,  96,  136. 

Cigar  Shop,  20. 

Clancy,  Humphry,  81 ;  John,  86. 

Clay  brook,  1,  128 ;    Road,  89. 


Brown,  John,  21,  23,  134;   John  H.,    Cleveland,    David,    48;    George,    48; 


74;    John  M.,  23,  46;    Ma- 
son, 23. 
Buckwheat,  12. 
Bulfinch,  F.  v.,  105. 
Bullen,  Amaziah,  15;  Bela,  17. 
Bullard,  John,  2,  121 ;    Jonathan,  2, 

121;    Joseph,  121,  122;    Na- 
thaniel, 121. 
Burke,  T.  P.,  102. 
Burns,  John,  dd,  110. 
Burra^e,  George  D.,  75;   John,  21,     Comiskey,  Michael  W.,  48,  71. 

57;  Obed,20;  Thomas,  15,  20.   Conrick,  William,  116. 

Cooper  Shops,  63,  75,  81. 
Campbell,  Rufus,  46. 
Carpenters,  27,  28. 
Cary,  Michael,  81. 
Caryl,  Rev.  Benjamin,  Q,  70,  71 

Dr.  George,  70;    School,  70. 
Cattle  Show,  51. 
Center  Street,  50. 
Chamberlain,  George,  11  \  Lyman,  21. Cunningham,  Michael,  58. 
Chimney  Burning,  124.  Curtiss,  Frederic  H.,  IZ. 

Chestnut  Street,  106. 
Chickering,   Charles   H.,  98;   Daniel,Damrell,  Charles,  114;  Charles  S.,  45; 

111;     Eliphalet,    2.    54,    107;  John  S.,  45. 

George,  97;  George  E.,  iii,  96 ;     Dandrow,  E.  K.,  71,  106. 

James,   111;    James   H.,  98;    Davidson,  Agnes,  (£. 

Jesse,  97;    John,  21,  81,  97;    Davis,  Alphonso,  80;  Arthur  K,  32. 

Joseph,  50,  72,  95 ;  Nathaniel,     Day,  John,  74 ;  Jonathan,  75 ;  Ralph, 

2,  96,  97,  110,  130;   Phebe  A.,  2,  14,  132. 

54;     Path,   107;     Samuel,  2,    Day's  Work,  27. 

113,  117.  "Deaconing,"  46. 

Cheney.  Benjamin  P., 93, 101 ;  James,  Dean,  Joseph,  120;   Luke,  119. 

109;   John,  9,  15,  42,  64,  100,    Dedham,  1,  2. 

109;    Simon,  111.  Dedham  Street,  66. 

146 


William,  48,  51. 

Clifford,  Oliver,  11. 

Cobb,  Bailey,  22. 

Coasting,  101. 

Colburn,  Everett,  50;  Granville,  89; 
Irving,  26. 

College  Graduate,  First,  71. 

Colcord,  Samuel  M.,  23,  114;  Wal- 
lace R.,  24. 

Comfort  Bags,  100. 


Copeland,  Joseph  A.,  13. 
Coughlan,  Thomas,  109. 
County  Street,  120. 
Country  Week,  11. 
Cranberries,  105. 
Crops,  75. 
Cross  Street,  98. 


INDEX 


Dedham  Tax  List,  2. 

Derby,  A.  L.,  43,  45;    Martin,  43; 

Lawrence,  43. 
Dewing,  Andrew,  2 ;    Elijah,  73. 
Dingle  Hole,  34,  126. 
Divining  Rods,  35. 
Doctor's  Bills,  42. 
Doctor  Habit,  42. 
Doctors,  Quacks,  45. 
Dodge,  Arthur  R,  79. 
Donation  Money,  83. 
Don  Pedro,  12. 
Dorr,  Benjamin  H.,  23. 
Dover  Farming,  6,  40,  54,  75,  88, 

117. 
Dover  Grange,  11. 
Dover  Historical  Society,  Z6,  70,  90. 
Dover  Street,  93. 
Draper,    Aaron,    103;    Charles,    86 

Daniel,    103;     Eben    S.,    72; 

James,  2,   7,   17,   18,   19,  25; 

Jesse,  25;    John,   19,  25,  26, 

134;    John,   Jr.,  2,   19,   102; 

Joseph  2,  19,  25,  134 ;   Josiah, 

59;       Leonard,      59,      106; 

Michael,  19,  20;    Moses,  59 

Thomas,  25. 
Drovers,  59. 
Du  Bois,  L.  G.,  12. 
Dudley,  Fred,  48. 
Duff,  John,  35. 
Dunn,    Sarah   E.,    107;     Theodore, 

104. 
Durocher,  Joseph.  63. 

Eastman,  Luther,  105. 

Edwards,  William,  33. 

Elecampane,  34. 

Electric  Cars,  120. 

Eliot,  Apostle,  1,  32,  89,  127,  130. 

Ellis,  Alpheus,  45;  Benjamin,  2,  101, 
109;  Caleb,  2,  97;  Eleazer,  2, 
53,  67,  97,  104;  Eleazer,  Jr., 
70;  Joshua,  3,  97,  105;  Josiah, 


3,  111;  Mercy,  105;  Rebecca, 
105 ;  Richard,  2 ;  Timothy,  70. 

Emmons  2nd,  Dr.  A.  B.,  70  ,105. 

Ensilage,  114. 

Everett,  George  D.,  17,  82;  Mrs. 
George  D.,  18. 

Excursions,  69. 

Fagots,  47. 

Farm  Help,  9,  85,  102;    Labor,  29; 

Life,  4, 86;  Produce,  6;  Tools, 

89;    Work,   136. 
Farm  Street,  7. 
Farrington,  Benjamin,  46. 
Faulk,  John  H.,  24,  106;    William, 

55,  56. 
Fay,  J.  Story,  3rd,  15. 
Fearing,  Perez  L.,  80,  92. 
;Feeble  minded,  60. 
Fire  Insurance,  74,  83. 
Fisher,    Charles,    119;    George,    118; 

Jesse,  71;  John,  51,  52,  130; 

Joseph,  71 ;    Josiah,  3, 40, 127 ; 

Nathan,    107;     Samuel,    107, 

117,  118,  134;  William,  70. 
;Fisher's  brook,  40,  126. 
Fishing,  69. 
Fiske,  Nathaniel,  14;  Mrs.  Nathaniel, 

15 ;   Noah,  41 ;   Prescott,  98. 
Forbes,  J.  Grant,  48. 
Ford,  John  H.,  108. 
Forestry,  hZ. 
Fortification,  Z6. 
Flowers,  58,  61. 
Floyd,  Samuel,  66. 
Fuller,  David,  86;  R.  Gorham,  29. 
Fulling  Mill,  131. 
Front  Yard,  3. 
Fresh  Air,  Z6,  44. 
Frocks,  137. 
Fruit  Trees,  93. 

Gardens,  11,  14,  35. 
Gardner,  Philip,  16. 

147 


INDEX 


Gay,  Stephen,  84. 
Gergler,  Louis,  110. 
Gibbon,  James,  49;    William,  49. 
Gilmore,  R.  J.,  72. 
Glen  Street,  32. 
Gold  Beads,  70. 
Gold  Discovery,  50. 
Gookins,   Daniel,   57. 
Goss  &  Russell,  133. 
Goulding,  Henry,  16,  29,  38,  51. 
Gravestones,  84. 
Green,  William,  24. 
Grew,  Edward  W.,  13. 
Griggs,  John,  70;  Reuben,  25. 
Grindstones,  75. 
Grinnell,  Dr.  Francis  B.,  12), 
Grove,  17. 

Guy,    Benjamin,    115;    Martin,    115; 
Sarah  A.,  115;  Timothy,  115. 

Hale,  Richard  W.,  79,  80. 

Hales,  J.  G.,  101. 

Hall,  George  D.,  111. 

Hall  Clocks,  3. 

Hammond,  Josiah  D.,  57. 

Hanchett,  Chester  A.,  18 ;  Dana  C, 
34. 

Harding,  Ann,  48,  60 ;   John,  48. 

Hart,  Betsey,  94;  Susan,  100;  Wil- 
liam G.,  94,  100. 

Hartshorn,  Obed,  8,  9. 

Hartford  Street,  113 ;  Turnpike,  113. 

Harvey,  Winthrop  A.,  60. 

Haskell,  Rev.  John,  105 ;  Maria,  69. 

Hastings,  Oscar,  116. 

Hatters,  112. 

Haven,  EHas,  15,  97;  Joseph,  96; 
Noah,  96. 

Haven  Street,  94. 

Headburg,  Gustaf,  57. 

Heard,  Richard,  63. 

Henderson,  Walter  P.,  iii,  11. 

Herd  House,  1,  117. 

Herring,  Samuel,  116;  Thomas,  116. 

Higbee,  Augusta,  21. 


Higgins,  Amy  H.,  90;  Eben,  Senior, 

20;  Eben,  107,  108;  Jedediah 

W.,  56,  69,  105. 
Higginson,  Juliet  B.,  71. 
Hill,  William,  66;  William  &  Sons, 

133. 
Historic  trees,  102. 
Hodgson,  Caroline,  98;    Ernest  F., 

53,  97 ;   Thomas,  53. 
Home  duties,  136. 
Hopkins,  James  C,  9,  122. 
Horse  collars,  59. 
Horton,  Henry,  45. 
House  heating,  137. 
House,  oldest,  36;    Banking,  91. 
Howe,  Albion  K,  23;    Alonzo,  46; 

Betsey    S,,    53;    Isaac,    69; 
;  George  L.,   70,  90;    V/illiam 

A.,  47. 
Howland,  John  A.,  22. 
Humphrey,  John,  23;    William  F., 

74. 
Hunting,  9,  23. 
Huskings,  39. 

Ice  chests,  34. 

Indians,   1,  27,  31,  Z2,  49,  79.   118, 

130. 
Insane,  84. 
Insurance,  74. 
Iron  ore,  26. 

Jake  place,  84. 

James,  Edward,  71. 

Jepson,  John,  85. 

Jolliffe,  Thomas  H.,  92. 

Jones,  Adam,  94 ;  Alice  J.,  25 ;  Helen 

M.,  107;    Hiram  W.,  24,  25, 

29,    46,    51;     John,    93,    94; 

Samuel,    64;     Stephen,    46; 

Theodore  F.,  48. 
Junction  Street,  122. 

Kelley,  Louis  H.,  115. 
148 


INDEX 


Kenrick,    Benjamin,    18;    Caleb,   34 

John,  16;    Richard,  57. 
Keys,  Ezra,  66. 
King,  William,  26,  120. 
King's  Highway,  120. 
Kirby,  Charles  K.,  48. 
Knapp,  Ebenezer,  3;    Jesse,  42. 
Knowles,  John  A.,  25. 
Knowlton,  Josiah,  57. 
Koopman,  C.  M.,  24. 

Land  burning,  76. 

Larrabee,  Joseph,  83;    Thomas,  83. 

Leach,  Samuel,  3. 

Leach  barrel,  31. 

Lee,  John  S.,  38. 

Leeds,  Charles  F.,  121. 

Leighton,  Benjamin  W.,  59. 

Lexington  Alarm,  15,  50,  97,   103, 

107. 
Liberty  pole,  17. 
Little  brook,  128. 
Locke,  William  H.,  102. 
Longevity,  8. 
Loring,  Israel,  94. 
Lotteries,  65. 
Lumber  yard,  56. 
Lyman,  Charles  F.,   14. 

Main  Street,  41. 

Mann,  Abigail,  69;  Daniel,  51,  74; 
Daniel,  2d,  44,  48 ;  Daniel  F., 
75;  ElbridgeL,  48,  50;  Ellis, 
110;  James,  20;  James,  Jr., 
49;  James  G.,  47;  Lorenzo, 
49;  Simeon,  20,  110;  Wil- 
lard,  20. 

Marden,  Charles,  66;  Jeremiah,  66. 

Marketing,  13. 

Market  days,  17;  Gardening,  75. 

Maring,  Leonard,  135. 

Marr,  N.  D.,  90. 

Mason,  Asa,  63,  135 ;  Ebenezer,  62 ; 
John,  17;  Moses,  14;  Seth, 
Jr.,  17;  Mrs.  Seth,  16. 


;  Maypole,  19. 
McClure,  John,  34. 
McCoy,  Andrew  T.,  58. 
McDonald,  Angus,  56. 
McDowell,  Corwin,  30. 
McGill,  James,  31,  48;   Thomas,  30, 

31. 
McKenzie,  George,  64 ;  John,  59 ;  R. 

Murdock,  60. 
McLine,  Michael,  81. 
McNamara,    John,    108;    Matthew, 

103;     Patrick,    56,    108;     Wil- 
liam A.,  45. 
Meacham,  Col.  George  A.,  103. 
Merryfield,  Thomas,  26;  Timothy, 

123. 
Metcalf,  Nathan,  23,  Samuel,  23. 
Milk  business,  20,  71. 
Mills,  125,  130. 
Mills,  Davis  C,  9. 
Mill  brook,  128;  Street,  78;  Grist, 

132. 
Miller,  Aaron,  68 ;  John,  21 ;  Sarah, 

70. 
Minot,  Robert  S.,  21,  36. 
Moore,  H.,  135;  Z.,  135. 
Morse,  Charles,  90;   Daniel,  2,  39. 
Mowing  machine,  29. 
jMyer,  John,  92. 

Needham  school  land,  93. 

Neponset  river,  129. 

New  dam,  132. 

New  mill,  71. 

Newell,  Benjamin,  64;  Carrie,  60; 

Charles,    62;    Ebenezer,    30, 

86,  102,  108,  135;  Horatio,  57; 

Jesse,    60;     Jesse,    Jr.,    61; 

John  A.,  60;  Josiah,  51,  132; 

Josiah,  Jr.,  64,  65;    Reuben, 

69;   Samuel,  133;  Theodore, 

64. 
Nichols,  John  Q.  A.,  43,  44. 
Noanet,    2;    Noanet    brook,     128; 

Noanet  hall,  65. 

149 


iNDElt 


Norfolk  Agricultural  Society,  51. 

Norfolk  Hunt  Club,  60. 

North  brook,  130. 

Norton,     T.     Cooley,     109;     Rev. 

Thomas,  S.,  69. 
Nursery,  92. 

Oak  tree,  67. 

Occupation  of  women,  25. 

"Old  Town  Folks,"  116. 

Orchards,  96,  136. 

Orchestra,  112. 

Orcutt,  Henry.  43, 

Otis,  Edmund  B,,  65 ;  George,  53. 

Otter  brook,  126. 

Oxen,  16. 

Packard,  Hubbard  C,  79. 

Paine,  Barnabas,  105 ;  Irvin  A.,  59 ; 

John  R.,  59;    Lewis  B.,  72, 

106. 
Paper  cutting,  70. 
Parish  wood  lot,  109. 
Parker,  Augustin  H.,  72. 
Parkinson,  John,  Jr.,  81. 
Parmenter,  Freeman  "A.,  34. 
Parsonage,  53,  69. 
Peat,  (^. 

Peddlers,  42 ;  Pack,  61 ;  Tin,  62. 
Penmanship,  113. 
Peppelow,  John,  9. 
Perry,  Elijah,  51,  52,  133 ;   Jonathan, 

90,  92;    Lowell,  90;    Samuel, 

90. 
Pettee,   Otis,   133. 
Phillips,  E.  T.,  90. 
Photograph  albums,  60. 
Piazza,  35. 
Picnic  Grounds,  90. 
Pierce,  Homer,  89. 
Pigeons,  wild,  111. 
Pigs,  6. 

Pine  Street,  61. 
Pioneer  life,  5. 


Plants,  25,  33. 

Play,  90. 

Playthings,  11. 

Pleasant  Street,  49. 

Plimpton,  John,  16,  38;    Jonathan, 

36. 
vjPlummer,  Micajah  S.,  20,  43. 
Plympton,  Charles  W.,  52. 
Pokanoket  Club,  10. 
Poole,  William  E.,  108. 
Poor  house,  63. 

Porter,  Dr.  William  T.,  12,  13,  36. 
Post  Office,  65,  123. 
Powder  house,   108. 
Powers,  Katherine  E.,  63. 
Powisset,    1;    Club,    119;    Indians, 
I  117;  street,  117. 

Preserving,  136. 
Proctor,  Rev.  George,  54. 
Pumps,  36. 
Puritans,   18. 

Quilting,  136,  140. 

Railroads,  122. 

Rats,  119. 

Rattlesnakes,  114. 

Reed,  John,  54,  68;  Josiah,  110. 

Revolution,  80. 

Rice,  Harry  L.,  21;   Fred  B.,  21; 
John,  48;    Wilder,   50. 

Rich,  Henry,  11. 

Richards,  Abijah,  81 ;  Alice  M.,  74; 
Asa,  81,  135;  Calvin,  29,  51, 
73;  Ebenezer,  IZ',  Edward, 
79;  Joseph,  71 ;  Josiah,  79,  80, 
81 ;  J.  Franklin,  34 ;  Lemuel, 
72;  Luther,  74,  81,  134;  Na- 
thaniel, 82;  Moses,  83,  108; 
Richard,  79 ;  Solomon,  81 ; 
Thomas,  79,  133 ;  W.  Mason, 
53,  134. 

Richardson,  Warren,  50. 

Ricker,  Benjamin,  49;   Olive,  49. 

150 


INDEX 


Roads,  4,  85. 
Robinson,  Ebenezer,  3. 
Rogers,  Robert  K.,  50. 
Rolling  mill,  132. 
Rosewater,    57. 
Rural  conditions,  54. 

Sanger,  Irene  F.,  1Z\  Rev.  Ralph, 

51,  52,  54,  108. 
Savings  banks,  54. 
Sawin,  Benjamin  N.,  11,  51,  90 ;  Cal- 
vin  H.,  90;   Frank   M.,   90; 

Dr.     Isaac,     58;     Joel,     58; 

Thomas,  90;  Warren,  90. 
Saw  mill,   110. 
Sawyer,  Edmond,  79. 
Schaffner,  J.  V.,  112. 
Schomaker,  Henry,  65. 
Schoolhouse,  16,  94. 
Scott,  Capt.  George,  73. 
Samuel,  B.,  135. 
Seeds,  79. 
Set  Kettle,  137. 
Sewing  machine,  39. 
Shoe  filling,  47. 
Shoemakers,  6,  12,  117. 
Shoe  shops,  55,  64. 
Shumway,  Amos  W.,  10 ;  Amos  W., 

Jr.,   10;  John,   10,   11;  John 

W.,  9. 
Sickness,  13. 
Silk  worms,  22. 
Silver  money,  57. 
Skimmings,  W.  H.,  42. 
Slaughter  houses,  10,  29. 
Slavery,  25,  102. 
Slavin,   Patrick,  21. 
Smith,  Abner  L.,  22,  51 ;   Albert  L., 

9,   38;   Allen   F.,   54;    Caleb. 

129,-   Charles  H.,  43;   David 

M.,  92;  Draper,  10,  31,  38; 

Eben,     74 ;     Ebenezer,     71 ; 

Ebenezer,  Jr.,  22,  26;   Frank, 

38;  Joseph,  23,  38;  Joseph  A. 

11,    12,    34;     Lucy    A.,    97; 


Lewis,  24,  71,  134;  Nathaniel, 
32;  Melancthon,  22;  Rufus, 
55;  Thomas,  76,  121;  Wil- 
liam E.,  90. 

Smith  Street,  34. 

Smokehouse,  16. 

Snow,  J.  H.,  58. 

Soule,  Alexander,  19. 

Spear,  Charles  C.  J.,  72;  Stillman, 
J.,  8. 

Spending  money,  16. 

Sports,  101. 

Spring  brook,  127. 

Springdale  Avenue,  100;   Park,  43. 

Springfield  Parish,  2,  43. 

Spywood,   Eunice,  44. 

Stage  coach,  120. 

Stanwood,  Philip  C,  Th. 

State  road,  106. 

Stearns,  Robert,  92. 

Stevens,  Henry  R.,  46,  114. 

Stone  walls,  30,  31,  51,  90. 

Stores,  11,  17,  43,  65,  66,  16,  106. 

Stowe,  Albert,  116;  Prof.  Calvin  E., 
116;  Walter,  51,  116. 

Stratton,  Martha,  109. 

Strawberry  hill,  78. 

Strawberry  Hill  Street,  78. 

Straw  bonnets,  60. 

Sturtevant,  Josiah  D.,  52. 

Sullivan,  Cornelius,  66 ;  Daniel,  71 ; 
John  A.,  86. 

Superstitions,  98. 

Surgical  operations,  115. 

Swan,  Francis,  54. 

Talbot,  Asa,  18,  20. 
Tannery,  104. 
Tappan,  Robert  M..  51,  92. 
Taylor,  George  E.,  110. 
'Team  haul,"  97. 
Thanksgiving,  67. 
Theater,  41. 
Thieving,   50. 
151 


INDEX 


Tilden,  Freeman,  30;  William  S., 
36. 

Tisdale,  Ansel  K.,  90,  105,  112 
Billings,  112;  Fisher,  112 
Henry,  112;  Homestead,  112 
James,  129;  William,  51,  113. 

Tisdale  Association,  67. 

Toboggan,  131. 

Toll  house,  112. 

Tomatoes,  136. 

Traders,  17. 

Tramps,  26. 

Trout  brook,  127. 

Tuck,  A.  R.,  15. 

Tubwreck  brook,  129. 

Upham,  Jonathan  103;  Walter  C, 
103,  123. 

Vacations,  92. 
Vehicles,  41. 

Wadsworth,   Moses,   121. 

Wages,  28. 

Wall,  Patrick,  71 ;  William,  58. 

Walpole  Street,  107. 

Water  supply,  21. 

Weaving  shops,  57,  60,  70,  80,  135. 

Weirs,  128. 

Welch,  William  T.,  9,  32;  George, 
24. 

Wentworth,  Alonzo,  41. 

Wheaton,    Caleb,    131. 

Whiting,  Aaron,  103;  Daniel,  54, 
68,  102;  Enoch,  104,  105; 
Gardner  C.,  7Z;  Ithamar,  1st, 
56;  Ithamar,  103,  105;  Jon- 
athan, 3,  51,  63,  64,  103,  108; 


Josiah,  63,  64;  Nathaniel, 
63;  Rufus,  103;  William, 
102,  103,  105,  110. 

Wheeler,  Joseph,  100. 

Whip  shop,  45. 

Wight,  Aaron,  32;  Amos,  10,  11; 
Arnold,  87 ;  Mrs.  Arnold,  86 ; 
Asa,  32;  Caleb,  30;  Daniel, 
2,  3,  71,  72;  Frederick  H., 
32,  53;  James  H.,  42,  43,  56; 
John,  14,  21;  Orin,  9;  Seth, 
30;    Seth,  Jr.,  30. 

Wight  Street,  30. 

Wigwam  portable  houses,  53. 

Wilkinson,  Ebenezer,  42,  43. 

Williams,  Charles,  16;  John,  53, 
54,  55,  68,  135 ;   Ralph  B.,  17. 

Williams  Tavern,  5,  68. 

Willow  Street,  64. 

Wilson,  Ephraim,  69, 89, 134  ;,Henry 
87 ;  Nathaniel,  3, 81,  89;  Sam- 
uel, 81-84. 

Wilsondale  Street,  85. 

Winchenbach,  Frank  H.,  44;  Henry 
J.,  45. 

Wind  storm,  64. 

Wisset  road,  115. 

Wolves,  22, 

Woods,  native,  66. 

Woodpile,  10. 

Wood  products,  64. 

Woodward,  Joshua  L.,  86. 

Woman's   rights,    17. 

Wotton,  Warren,  97. 

Wrench  bed,  137. 

Wrestling,   19. 

Ziolkowski  farm,  110. 


152 


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